Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Basic Books (1998), Edition: First Edition, 176 pages
Description
To us humans the sex lives of many animals seem weird. In fact, by comparison with all the other animals, we are the ones with the weird sex lives. How did that come to be? Just count our bizarre ways. We are the only social species to insist on carrying out sex privately. Stranger yet, we have sex at any time, even when the female can't be fertilized (for example, because she is already pregnant, post-menopausal, or between fertile cycles). A human female doesn't know her precise time of fertility and certainly doesn't advertise it to human males by the striking color changes, smells, and sounds used by other female mammals. Why do we differ so radically in these and other important aspects of our sexuality from our closest ancestor, the apes? Why does the human female, virtually alone among mammals go through menopause? Why does the human male stand out as one of the few mammals to stay (often or usually) with the female he impregnates, to help raise the children that he sired? Why is the human penis so unnecessarily large? There is no one better qualified than Jared Diamond-renowned expert in the fields of physiology and evolutionary biology and award-winning author-to explain the evolutionary forces that operated on our ancestors to make us sexually different. With wit and a wealth of fascinating examples, he explains how our sexuality has been as crucial as our large brains and upright posture in our rise to human status.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member tony_landis
A great deal of interesting information about the sex lives of species other than humans, but for such a short book the repetition on some points was beyond annoying. I found little content that even attempted to answer the question posed in the title of the book. I wouldn't have been so
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disappointed had the book been accurately titled "The Strange and Unique Sex Lives of the Human Species". Show Less
LibraryThing member KatieBrugger
I have read a number of Jared Diamond’s books and am a great fan. After reading this book I felt like the title was chosen by someone in his publisher’s marketing department. Mr. Diamond was probably chagrined by it. He’s a scientist, and he spends a lot of time discussing animal behavior and
The basic points he discusses are: 1. Males and females have different investments in reproduction and that determines their behavior—males take a few seconds to discharge semen while females have 9 months of pregnancy and years of lactation; 2. Males could breast-feed but that didn’t evolve because of that low investment, 3. Female humans conceal their ovulation for two reasons, originally to hide who the father was (new dominant males kill the offspring that aren’t theirs) then later to keep the man around to help raise children, 4. What are men good for? He struggles to find a good reason (see below), 5. Why does human menopause exist? Many other female animals are fertile in old age, and 6. Evolution of sexual body signals—breasts and big hips in women, and in men, penis size. A seventh point that he discussed in the first chapter, that humans have sex in private unlike almost all other animals, didn’t get an explanation.
I thought male sexual body signals were facial hair and low voice—not penis size. Mr. Diamond suggests that the penis has evolved as a sexual signal, like the peacock’s tail, a body part that is longer than necessary to advertise genetic strength and health. “The length of the erect penis is only about 1¼ inches in gorillas and 1½ inches in orangutans but 5 inches in humans, even though males of the two apes have much bigger bodies than men.” Why? Could it be all the positions humans have sex in? “[T]he 1½ inch penis of the male orangutan permits it to perform in a variety of positions that rival ours, and to outperform us by executing all those positions while hanging from a tree. As for the possible utility of a large penis in sustaining prolonged intercourse, orangutans top us in that regard too (mean duration fifteen minutes, versus a mere four minutes for the average American man.)” Ouch.
Then he describes what the penis would look like if men designed it, using the phallocarp of New Guinea men as an example—a penis sheath up to two feet long, four inches in diameter, brightly colored, and erect (google it!). They say they feel naked without it, even though, other than the sheath, they are completely naked.
The discussion of the importance of men was surprising. I always assumed that the male role in hunter-gatherer societies was obvious: the men hunted. A female anthropologist, Kristen Hawkes of the University of Utah, decided to test this assumption. She had people test the caloric yields of the men’s hunting catches and the women’s foraging yield in tribes in Paraguay and Tanzania.
In the Northern Ache people of Paraguay, the men hunted large animals such as peccaries and deer, and collected honey. The women pounded starch from palm trees and gathered fruits and insect larvae (in addition to caring for children). On average the man brought home nothing 25% of the time, whereas the women produced a consistent amount every day. The man’s average calorie return was 9, 634, where a woman’s was 10, 356.
You may argue that the men’s protein was more valuable than the women’s starch, but in other places women gather high-protein staples: the Kalahari San women gather mongongo nuts, and in New Guinea the women fish, and catch rats, grubs, and spiders.
Mr. Diamond asked, why don’t the men turn their energy to securing high-protein food that is easier to obtain and thus a more predictable source of nutrition? Turns out that women want to mate with men who are successful hunters, even if it doesn’t really mean that much for the overall nutrition of the group. Women today still want to be with the most powerful and successful man; it’s clearly a deeply-wired aspiration.
The other section that was of particular interest to me, an aging woman, was the one on menopause. The current thinking in anthropology is that older women are a very important component of society, and that cessation of fertility helps increase the longevity of women. The theory goes like this: because of humans’ long childhood, and the risk of death in childbirth, a woman risking her life at 45 to have one more child wouldn’t make sense, because it would mean her existing children would lose their mother and have a lower chance of survival. Much better to stop having children and put your energy into helping your children be successful in having children. In other words, non-fertile grandmothers are a very successful survival strategy for the human race.
In addition, old women are a storehouse of knowledge for the whole tribe; old people are the “tribe’s library.” I love what Mr. Diamond says about being “postreproductive”: “No human, except a hermit, is ever truly postreproductive in the sense of being unable to benefit the survival and reproduction of other people bearing one’s genes.” Today this is less true than for pre-literate peoples, and with books and the internet we don’t think of any one person being the repository of knowledge. “We find it impossible to conceive of the overwhelming importance of elderly people in preliterate societies as repositories of information and experience.”
In conclusion, Mr. Diamond says, “That importance to society of the memories of old women is what I see as a major driving force behind the evolution of human female menopause.”
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speculating about how the distinctive features of human sexuality evolved. There’s not much talk about why it’s so fun. The basic points he discusses are: 1. Males and females have different investments in reproduction and that determines their behavior—males take a few seconds to discharge semen while females have 9 months of pregnancy and years of lactation; 2. Males could breast-feed but that didn’t evolve because of that low investment, 3. Female humans conceal their ovulation for two reasons, originally to hide who the father was (new dominant males kill the offspring that aren’t theirs) then later to keep the man around to help raise children, 4. What are men good for? He struggles to find a good reason (see below), 5. Why does human menopause exist? Many other female animals are fertile in old age, and 6. Evolution of sexual body signals—breasts and big hips in women, and in men, penis size. A seventh point that he discussed in the first chapter, that humans have sex in private unlike almost all other animals, didn’t get an explanation.
I thought male sexual body signals were facial hair and low voice—not penis size. Mr. Diamond suggests that the penis has evolved as a sexual signal, like the peacock’s tail, a body part that is longer than necessary to advertise genetic strength and health. “The length of the erect penis is only about 1¼ inches in gorillas and 1½ inches in orangutans but 5 inches in humans, even though males of the two apes have much bigger bodies than men.” Why? Could it be all the positions humans have sex in? “[T]he 1½ inch penis of the male orangutan permits it to perform in a variety of positions that rival ours, and to outperform us by executing all those positions while hanging from a tree. As for the possible utility of a large penis in sustaining prolonged intercourse, orangutans top us in that regard too (mean duration fifteen minutes, versus a mere four minutes for the average American man.)” Ouch.
Then he describes what the penis would look like if men designed it, using the phallocarp of New Guinea men as an example—a penis sheath up to two feet long, four inches in diameter, brightly colored, and erect (google it!). They say they feel naked without it, even though, other than the sheath, they are completely naked.
The discussion of the importance of men was surprising. I always assumed that the male role in hunter-gatherer societies was obvious: the men hunted. A female anthropologist, Kristen Hawkes of the University of Utah, decided to test this assumption. She had people test the caloric yields of the men’s hunting catches and the women’s foraging yield in tribes in Paraguay and Tanzania.
In the Northern Ache people of Paraguay, the men hunted large animals such as peccaries and deer, and collected honey. The women pounded starch from palm trees and gathered fruits and insect larvae (in addition to caring for children). On average the man brought home nothing 25% of the time, whereas the women produced a consistent amount every day. The man’s average calorie return was 9, 634, where a woman’s was 10, 356.
You may argue that the men’s protein was more valuable than the women’s starch, but in other places women gather high-protein staples: the Kalahari San women gather mongongo nuts, and in New Guinea the women fish, and catch rats, grubs, and spiders.
Mr. Diamond asked, why don’t the men turn their energy to securing high-protein food that is easier to obtain and thus a more predictable source of nutrition? Turns out that women want to mate with men who are successful hunters, even if it doesn’t really mean that much for the overall nutrition of the group. Women today still want to be with the most powerful and successful man; it’s clearly a deeply-wired aspiration.
The other section that was of particular interest to me, an aging woman, was the one on menopause. The current thinking in anthropology is that older women are a very important component of society, and that cessation of fertility helps increase the longevity of women. The theory goes like this: because of humans’ long childhood, and the risk of death in childbirth, a woman risking her life at 45 to have one more child wouldn’t make sense, because it would mean her existing children would lose their mother and have a lower chance of survival. Much better to stop having children and put your energy into helping your children be successful in having children. In other words, non-fertile grandmothers are a very successful survival strategy for the human race.
In addition, old women are a storehouse of knowledge for the whole tribe; old people are the “tribe’s library.” I love what Mr. Diamond says about being “postreproductive”: “No human, except a hermit, is ever truly postreproductive in the sense of being unable to benefit the survival and reproduction of other people bearing one’s genes.” Today this is less true than for pre-literate peoples, and with books and the internet we don’t think of any one person being the repository of knowledge. “We find it impossible to conceive of the overwhelming importance of elderly people in preliterate societies as repositories of information and experience.”
In conclusion, Mr. Diamond says, “That importance to society of the memories of old women is what I see as a major driving force behind the evolution of human female menopause.”
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LibraryThing member ejp1082
An easy to read and fascinating look at something that most of us take for granted. It offers insight not just into sexuality, but into the entire development of human societies and relationships.
LibraryThing member librarybrandy
Why is sex fun? I've read this whole book, and I still don't know.
I do have a better understanding, though, of evolutionary biology and the hows and whys of our (and other animals') development of sex characteristics, including breast development and menopause.
Interesting but not riveting, which
I do have a better understanding, though, of evolutionary biology and the hows and whys of our (and other animals') development of sex characteristics, including breast development and menopause.
Interesting but not riveting, which
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is why it took me the better part of a month to get through 148 pages. Show Less
LibraryThing member _Greg
A short, fun and illuminating book.
LibraryThing member jodes101
This book was quite fascinating and I enjoyed the fact that Diamond does not try to be funny and glib but explains the science behind his views and backs it up with evidence all done in an easy to understand and not the least bit patronising manner. The size of the book was great too as I didn't
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feel like I was being taught from a text book. Definately looking forward to the opportunity to quote something at a dinner party and then feeling a bit smug. Show Less
LibraryThing member dickmanikowski
Well written and understandable discussion of the evolutionary value of various aspects of human sexuality. Why are humans sexually active even at times when the female isn't fertile? Why don't women display detectable signs (or even know) when they're fertile? Why is the human penis so large (a
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350 lb gorilla sports a boner about 1.5" long)? The author describes various theories explaining these and other topics. Show Less
LibraryThing member MartinBodek
This is THE book that would get the most eyeballs while reading in public. The title is that catchy. Fortunately, I have a Kindle for such reading. The book itself was surprisingly disappointing as far as answers to my questions go. Namely, I'm curious about the specifics of the evolutionary
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processes for the apparati involved in the human connection. Those are not offered here, perhaps because the answers are currently speculative. However, Jared Diamond is a consistently fantastic enlightener and asks wonderful questions with illuminating hypotheticals. When he speaks in absolutes, he knows of what he speaks. He is a pleasure, though this book fell a little bit short of his lofty, revelatory standards. Show Less
LibraryThing member mbmackay
A short, simple & very clear discussion of the evolutionary basis of human sex. Wonderful writing and clear science. But I am such a Diamond fan that I would enjoy train timetables written by this man. :)
Read in Samoa July 2002
Read in Samoa July 2002
LibraryThing member PaulRx04
Very good , but nothing close to his other books,
Read Guns, Germs Steel first an all time great book
Read Guns, Germs Steel first an all time great book
LibraryThing member dtw42
Interesting; some enlightening things to learn about the evolutionary-biology aspects of human sexuality in comparison with that of other animals. My only objections: (a) it felt at times like a short book padded out to a middle-size one by his repetitive phrasing style, and (b) the title is
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misleading: a question that the book doesn't really answer. Show Less
LibraryThing member A.Godhelm
FINALLY! THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION EVERYONE'S BEEN ASKING!
And the answer is... we don't know. That's also the answer to a lot of related sexual questions from menopause to penis size. Humans are outliers and we don't really have any definitive answers. What we do get however is a hell of a lot of
It's not so much the evolution of human sexuality as it is "some plausible sounding evolutionary explanatory models that might explain" human sexuality. How satisfying that ends up being depends a bit on what you went into the book wanting and how much you like asking "how do you actually know that".
And the answer is... we don't know. That's also the answer to a lot of related sexual questions from menopause to penis size. Humans are outliers and we don't really have any definitive answers. What we do get however is a hell of a lot of
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speculation. Now some of this is based solidly in research science, such as the glamorous collecting of monkey piss to try and analyze which monkey is in estrus and when. The remainder is unfortunately a lot of "just so" storytelling, using evolutionary theories and sexual selection and a dash of social science findings to create plausible scienc-y sounding narratives for why humans are an outlier. Diamond's books often stumble as they try to answer the big questions on this very same step. One illustration of the problem with this is exemplified in the book as he describes two competing theories for why human females have "hidden" fertile periods and not a gigantic glowing ass. One theory says this is to create defensive monogamous relationships, the other says it's creating a society where everyone's sleeping around which protects women and children as any male could possibly have fathered the kids. Diamond tries to synthesize the view by saying it's a bit of one and a bit of the other. The only real hard science here is a comparative view of other primates and their evolutionary strategies. It's not so much the evolution of human sexuality as it is "some plausible sounding evolutionary explanatory models that might explain" human sexuality. How satisfying that ends up being depends a bit on what you went into the book wanting and how much you like asking "how do you actually know that".
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LibraryThing member JBarringer
evolutionary ecology/biology perspective on human sexuality
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1997-06-01
Physical description
8 inches
ISBN
0465031269 / 9780465031269