Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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!

Must-reading for men even though it's mainly addressed to women--and should make a good gift any time of year. Guys, find out how much they really know about us--more than we know ourselves! Smart, witty, thoughtful accounts of why we're attracted (or not) to how would-be mates smell, on the sexiness of humor and how love changes your brain, why curves are sexy, and much more. Question-and-answer format makes for easy episodic reading: Pick it up and start anywhere, read a few pages, then come back later for more surprises. Light, breezy writing that is also satisfying to readers interested in science and psychology. This would make a good gift to or from either sex--for someone whose smell turns you on, or whose eye color you find alluring and you want to know why . . . Now, back to The Racy Parts . . .

Let me just start off this review by saying that I'm in a junior in high school and I'm a guy. Overall, this book was pretty solid - a lot of questions about what makes people attractive, people in relationships, etc., were answered in a very succinct and well-thought out manner. I've taken AP biology, and a lot of the terms in the book were things I had learned about during the year (A LOT of hormones (oxytocin, progesterone, luteinizing hormone, estrogen and testosterone, to name a few) major histocompatibility complex, hypothalamus etc.,)), which made the book much easier to understand. Also, there are a few basic Freud concepts mentioned in the book (id and libido, Oedipus and Electra complexes), so if you've taken like, Psych 101 you should be good. However - this is probably a plus for most of you - but this book is highly geared towards a female audience. All of the examples are from a woman's point of view ("so the next time you see him...", "notice how guys always..."), and all the text is in a flowery lilac purple.

I absolutely LOVED this book. I found myself compulsively quoting parts of the book in subsequent conversations and referencing study after study giving friends relationship advice. It's packed with numerous anecdotes, factoids and reveals so much about human sexual behavior and what biological imperatives drive our preferences in dating. The book is so insightful and interesting I bought copies for all of my girlfriends...definitely a great conversation starter! Its packaged really well to appeal to a wide readership - a breezy read that's well-written, substantive and refreshingly fast-paced. If you have any interest in evolutionary biology, you may already be familiar with some of the studies referenced (like how your partner smells is important, and if monogamy is natural) and then there are some really fascinating lesser known studies on how the length of your index finger is an indicator of your testosterone levels...and on and on....The book is really packed with so much stuff that I am reading it again for a refresher! HIGHLY recommended.

The writer also has a very good blog, for those of you who are interested in the topic of evolutionary biology, that she updates quite frequently. It's featured on Amazon's site, but you can view it off her website directly - as there are new studies coming out almost daily: http://jenapincott.wordpress.com/

Jena Pincott's book is collection of short essays on sex and biology. While clearly intended for the casual lay reader, Pincott does include a list of references by chapter.

The reason you need this book is to help you understand the unseen factors behind others sexual and bonding behaviours. If one is to get along with others, it helps to recognize when they are hungry, tired or angry. In a similar way, it helps to recognize and understand the deeper cues people involuntarily use. Pincott's book is lay text for doing so. If nothing else, it will explain the importance of spending time gazing into your loved one's eyes.

In a light and compelling way, the author brings together an excellent overview of the science of dating and mating. Mostly addressing love and sex from an evolutionary point of view, topics covered in the book include why we're attracted to people who look like ourselves in long-term relationships but not short-term, how porn affects men and women differently, how sex affects the nervous system, why penis size means more to men than to women, the body language of mating, why absence makes a man's heart (or hard-on) stronger, and the real science behind pheromones and how women subconsciously choose men based on body odors. I loved this book. Not everything applies to everyone, individuals vary, but the trends are interesting.
This book packs a lot of information into a light and entertaining format (short sections make it hard to put down) and provides an extensive sources section and index for further research. A MUST READ!

I thought Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? would be a fluff book. Actually, it is an amazing read that goes into detail about all the latest science behind what attracts people to each other. It's about the biology, neuroscience, genetics, and so on behind love and attraction, and presented as questions and answers that are fun and go down easy. The author based all the answers on actual scientific studies. Lots of facts that are actually useful in dating.

The questions were all interesting and sometimes deliciously outrageous. Does absence really make a man grow fonder? How do the seasons affect your sex life? Why don't people go into heat like other animals? Are people really monogamous by nature? Some of the answers I guessed and others were real zingers.

Fun, well-written, interesting. I loved it!!!

I love compilation books, but "Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?" takes the cake. This book is filled with fantastic golden nuggets of information about love, sex, attraction and much much more and it's in an easy to read question and answer format. This is a great book to bring to bed at night - you and your sweetie can take turns asking each other questions and whoever wins gets ... Seriously, although this book is based in biology, psychology evolution and the neuro- and cognitive sciences, it is anything but boring. You'll find all the answers to those burning questions that you always wanted to know - like what's the average size of a man's .... and all of those tidbits of information that you might never have thought of, such as "why does something dangerous and exciting increase attraction"? Or, "is chocolate really an aphrodisiac?" The questions and answers go on and on. If you are looking for a great holiday book this season that is fun, intriguing and scientifically sound, I highly recommend "Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?"