Hormonal : the Hidden Intelligence of Hormones -- How They Drive Desire, Shape Relationships, Influence Our Choices, and Make Us Wiser

Research conducted in the last fifteen years has placed in question many of the traditional conclusions scholars have formed about human female sexuality. Though conventional wisdom asserts that women's estrus has been evolutionarily lost, Randy Thornhill and Steven W. Gangestad assert that it is present, though concealed. Women, they propose, therefore exhibit two sexualities each ovulatory cycle-estrus and sexuality outside of the estrous phase, extended sexuality-that possess distinct functions. Synthesizing research in behavioral evolution and comparative biology, the authors provide a new theoretical framework for understanding the evolution of human female sexuality, one that is rooted in female sexuality and phylogeny across all vertebrate animals. The hidden intelligence of hormones and their role in empowering women to succeed sexually, reproductively, and socially. Did you know women walk more, eat less, socialize more, meet more men, dance more, and flirt more when they're ovulating? Or that PMS may have evolved to get rid of boyfriends with unfit sperm? Behind the "fickle" differences in what women find sexy about men, or what they like to wear, there's a hidden adaptive intelligence that has been shaped over eons. In this provocative and paradigm-shattering book, Martie Haselton, the world's leading researcher on sexuality and the ovulation cycle, takes a deep, revealing look at the biological processes that so profoundly influence our behavior and sets forth a radical new understanding of women's bodies, minds, and sexual relationships, one that embraces hormonal cycles as adaptive solutions to genuine biological challenges. At the core of Hasleton's new Darwinian feminism is her remarkable discovery that humans, like our animal cousins, possess a special phase of sexuality, called estrus, which comes with a host of physiological and behavioral changes. Rigorously researched, entertaining, and empowering, Hormonal offers women deep new insights into their bodies, brains, relationships, and affairs, allowing them to make better-informed choices about sex, marriage, friendship, contraception, and more. Above all, Hormonal is a clarion call to appreciate and embrace the genius of female biology. The new Darwinian feminism -- The trouble with hormones -- Heat seekers -- Around the moon in twenty-eight days -- The evolution of desire -- Mate shopping -- The (not quite) undercover ovulator -- Maidens to matriarchs -- Hormonal intelligence.;Haselton examines "the biological processes that so profoundly influence our behavior and [posits] a radical new understanding of women's bodies, minds, and sexual relationships, one that embraces hormonal cycles as adaptive solutions to genuine biological challenges"--Amazon.com. Background and overview of the book Methodology Extended female sexuality The evolution of human mating systems and parental care Female ornaments and signaling The evolution of women's permanent ornaments Good genes and mate choice Estrus Women's estrus Women's estrus, pair-bonding, and extra-pair sex Concealed fertility Coevolutionary processes : men's counter-strategies and women's responses to them Reflections. The indispensable reference tool for the groundbreaking science of evolutionary psychology Why is the mind designed the way it is? How does input from the environment interact with the mind to produce behavior? These are the big, unanswered questions that the field of evolutionary psychology seeks to explore. "This book introduces a new theoretical framework for understanding women's sexuality based on comparative female sexuality across all vertebrate animals; shows that estrus is present in human females, contrary to earlier research; and explains how women's sexuality is dual purpose in design."--Jacket The hidden intelligence of the hormonal cycle and its role in empowering women to succeed sexually, reproductively, and socially. Health & Fitness / Women’s Health, Health & Fitness / Sexuality, Science / Life Sciences / Evolution, Science / Life Sciences / Human Anatomy & Physiology Groundbreaking developments, findings, and perspectives in evolutionary psychology The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology is the field's leading resource, providing comprehensive coverage of the latest findings and theoretical developments. This title introduces a theoretical framework for understanding women's sexuality based on comparative female sexuality across all vertebrate animals. It shows that estrus is present in human females, contrary to earlier research