Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?: Bodies, Behavior, and Brains--The Science Behind Sex, Love, and Attraction (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In these playfully written scientific anecdotes, Pincott (Success) argues that desire is strongly rooted in evolutionary biases and consults a variety of studies—some familiar, others cutting-edge—to reveal the extent to which hormones dictate human behavior. Even idle ogling is a serious endeavor: humans constantly rate each other for levels of attractiveness, a signifier of male and female hormones. When women are ovulating, estrogen rebuilds the female face, making lips fuller and skin smoother; Pincott cites studies showing that strippers earned twice as much during the fertile phase of their cycles as when they had their periods, while those taking birth control earned significantly less money throughout. The book also has the scoop about whether penis size matters (it does), how the post-orgasm rush of oxytocin promotes bonding and why women are tempted to cheat during certain times of the month. It ends with a look at the neuroscience of love, which despite all the jostling and jousting of dating and mating, appears to be very much alive when measured by MRI studies of passionate couples. (Oct.)
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Review

"Witty, captivating, scientifically sound and great fun. Every curious man and woman will love this book."—Louann Brizendine, M.D., New York Times bestselling author of The Female Brain

“Answers around 100 questions we’ve all wondered about or asked…. A tremendous amount of potentially useful information in a well-written, entertaining, and easy-to-understand format.”—Library Journal

“Playfully written scientific anecdotes.” – Publishers Weekly, starred review


From the Hardcover edition. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Press; 1 edition (September 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385342152
• ISBN-13: 978-0385342155
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #82,049 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #23 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Sexuality > Psychology of Sexuality
  #59 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Relationships > Dating
  #79 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > By Topic > Gender

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVE this book!!, October 14, 2008

By	Elizabeth A. Essenfeld "Elizabeth Essenfeld" (Simsbury, CT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Yay!! Finally! Some reasoning behind all those questions we have! Why DO we want to be super skinny even though logically we know it's less attractive? Why DO we fall for the bad boy when Mr. Perfect is standing right next to us? Years of research have been conducted for these questions and so many more, only we don't have to go digging thru endless university studies or blow the dust off piles of reference books in the basement of our local libraries ... Jena Pincott did all the sifting and filtering for us! She's handed us a concise, comprehensive, well researched, scientifically-based answer to each relationship question we've ever had wrapped up in small, easy-to-swallow, purple-tinted chapters. It's perfect! Perfect to read for your own curiosity, perfect as a gift to a recently dumped girlfriend, perfect to use in arguments with your partner ...

The only thing left now that we have the reasons behind our feelings/choices is the answers on what to do about changing them. This is not a criticism of Mrs. Pincott, mind you (she definitely accomplished her goal in this book of reasons) but more of a plea from a reader/fan for a follow-up book with the scientific solutions to consciously alter our perceptions to making better relationship choices.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Converstion Starters!, November 23, 2008

By	Zenaide Andrade (nyc) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I think this book is terrific ! The questions answers in the book
make great fodder for provocative conversations with friends and
boyfriends. Some of the ones I loved: are "Is a meat-heavy diet a turn-
pff? Why do roller coaster rides and other thrills make people
lustful? What smells have been found to turn people on? How do the
seasons affect your love life?" It's funny, charming, and well--
written. What I like about it is that it's not heavy and dull like
most science books, but there are sources if you want to go back to
the research behind the author's findings. I'd call it a cross
between a science book and the best of Cosmo. Highly recommended for
women who are looking for a new view on love and dating.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars evolutionary biology explains everything!, July 15, 2009

By	college professor - See all my reviews

I picked up this book initially because I wanted to know the answer to the question in the book's title: Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? (because I do!). The book explained several questions that I had been curious about. Since I am a face man, I was curious to know why certain faces are so irresistible to me. The answer was surprising and yet completely understandable in evolutionary biological terms. An attractive face is a symmetrical face, indicating genetic and developmental health of the individual and therefore his or her attractiveness as a mate. Why is long hair sexy? It's not obvious, but again it's explained by evolution and biology. Can semen in your body from your partner make you happy? Why do men have more casual sex than women? You can say the answer is that they are dogs, but that's not the evolutionary reason. And for you singles: you should know that intercourse with a partner is more satisfying than masturbation. Love makes you blind. It turns out it's not just a saying. What body language do men or women use to let you know that they are interested? This too has to do with the evolution of human behavior.

I learned a surprising amount of evolutionary biology and psychology from this book!