The Generous Man: How Helping Others is the Sexiest Thing You Can Do [Paperback]

Tor Norretranders (Author), Jonathan Sydenham (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2006

When it comes to sex, Darwin didn't go far enough. Whereas his theory of natural selection dictates that species adapt the most efficient and logical traits (a streamlined fin, say, or a long wingspan), Generous Man makes the case that an animal's success, sexually, depends on developing the least efficient traits. Nørretranders uses as the central symbol of his theory the peacock's plumage. It's cumbersome, showy, and inefficient — and therefore terribly attractive to peahens. Put more simply, nothing shows a potential mate just how worthy you are as a partner than your ability to be wasteful and inefficient. It's like a man with money to burn. But money isn't everything: humans really measure their worth by doing something that's difficult. This is a central — though hitherto overlooked — factor in evolution. In order to win a partner to mate with, humans display their best sides. We strive for perfection, prove we are willing to help others, show consideration, and go out of our way. In other words, we are generous. This book shows how our nobler traits derive from our need for sex and are, in fact, the best way to get more of it.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. From his first sentence—"Welcome to this book about sex, or, more precisely perhaps, a book about how to get it"—Danish science writer Nørretranders offers his fresh, irreverent take on popular sociobiology (by this point a veritable genre). While deploying the standard tropes—a bit of game theory, descriptions of psychological experiments, some colorful anecdotes from the natural world—he does so in the service of a novel and intriguing perspective: that human generosity, creativity, cooperativeness and cleverness serve the singular evolutionary purpose of making us sexier. According to Nørretranders (The User Illusion: Cutting Consciousness Down to Size), "costly" actions, like sharing one's food and expending valuable energy on artistic pursuits, that don't directly contribute to our survival make us seem stronger and more virile. Rather than trying to transcend our sexual instincts, he claims, we should embrace them. Horniness is good!—it drives us to the limits of our capabilities. Nice guys do finish first!—at least when prospective partners are looking for more than a one-night commitment. And all the best in human endeavor, from open-source software to international medical aid, "everything spiritual, beautiful, and wise is 'merely' an aid to getting laid." (Nov. 7)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Tor Nørretranders, the author of ten books on topics ranging from the environment to quantum mechanics, is a prominent Danish science writer, television host, and lecturer. His most recent book, THE USER ILLUSION: CUTTING CONSCIOUSNESS DOWN TO SIZE was translated into seven languages.

Jonathan Sydenham translated THE USER ILLUSION into English.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1 Tra edition (September 29, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560259035
• ISBN-13: 978-1560259039
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,471,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinarily entertaining and informative!, November 21, 2005

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This review is from: The Generous Man: How Helping Others is the Sexiest Thing You Can Do (Hardcover)

What a funny, brilliant book! The author is a genius and an optimist, and it is thrilling to gain insight into not just how the world works but how the world can be better. With the recent controversies over Darwanism v. intelligent design, this would seem to be an excellent resource. The book's theory, more or less, is that all human achievement is driven by our desire to procreate and that this mechanism ensures a continual human advancement.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, fascinating and insightful., September 4, 2010

By 

M. Michael (Chapel Hill, NC USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Generous Man: How Helping Others is the Sexiest Thing You Can Do (Paperback)

Looking for additional reading for my students in an Evolutionary Psychology course, I came across this short book, which tackles difficult subjects in a way that makes them clear, accessible and, more important, relevant. A quick enjoyable read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Do the right thing by helping others - and there are rewards, November 2, 2010

By 

Sean - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Generous Man: How Helping Others is the Sexiest Thing You Can Do (Paperback)

This book was an excellent read. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's irreverent style. This book is NOT politically correct! That said, it is well researched, wide-ranging in its ideas, and fun to read. I can only hope that this author's ideas keep catching on in society. Enlightened self-interest (with the emphasis on "enlightened" is a very optimistic viewpoint and provides motivation and inspiration for those of us on the left of the political spectrum who always believed it was important to help others and try to do great things.