The groundbreaking, provocative book that uses evolutionary psychology to explain human mating and the mysteries of love.
If we all want love, why is there so much conflict in our most cherished relationships? To answer this question we must look into our evolutionary past, argues prominent psychologist David M. Buss. Based one of the largest studies of human mating ever undertaken, encompassing more than 10,000 people of all ages from thirty-seven cultures worldwide, The Evolution of Desire is the first work to present a unified theory of human mating behavior. Drawing on a wide range of examples of mating behavior -- from lovebugs to elephant seals, from the Yanomamö tribe of Venezuela to online dating apps -- Buss reveals what women want, what men want, and why their desires radically differ. Love has a central place in human sexual psychology, but conflict, competition, and manipulation also pervade human mating -- something we must confront in order to control our own mating destiny. Updated to reflect the very latest scientific research on human mating, this definitive edition of this classic work of evolutionary psychology explains the powerful forces that shape our most intimate desires.
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“Filled with insight, surprises, and lucid explanations of the latest ideas and discoveries from the sciences of love and sex.”
— Steven Pinker, New York Times bestselling author
David M. Buss, one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology, is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches courses in evolutionary psychology and the psychology of human mating. He is the author of several books, including The Evolution of Desire, Evolutionary Psychology, and The Dangerous Passion. His and Cindy M. Meston’s article “Why Humans Have Sex” garnered international attention when it was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Greg Tremblay is a voice talent and Earphones Award–winning audiobook narrator.