Handbook of the Evolution of Human Sexuality

Expand your knowledge—with theories and concepts that may challenge your assumptions about sexual attraction

Human sexuality can be better understood by knowing how sexual psychologies may have evolved throughout the ages. Handbook of the Evolution of Human Sexuality presents a detailed examination of human sexuality, the assumptions about concepts and terms pertaining to sexuality, and the latest theories on the evolution of human sexual attraction. Leading experts explore various aspects of evolutionary theory, with a focus on Evolutionary Psychology (EP). Discussions include mate preferences, mating behavior, mate signaling, pheromones, and same-sex attraction. This comprehensive source also presents three groundbreaking theories of the evolution of same-sex attraction.

Handbook of the Evolution of Human Sexuality takes current assumptions about human sexuality, explains each in turn, and then offers fresh perspectives on conventional concepts of sexual orientation. This extensive resource provides ample evidence to argue that researchers should investigate sexual relationships based on a person’s characteristics such as personal traits, complementary roles/status, sexual acts, or situational context rather than simply the sex of the partner. The book provides a discussion of evolutionary theory, evolution of human sexual culture, evolution of sexual pleasure, and detailed analysis of assumptions about sexual orientation. The text is carefully referenced.

Some of the topics explored by Handbook of the Evolution of Human Sexuality include:

• links to non-human primate sexual behaviors and the emergence of human (sexual) nature
  
• EP research on consensual adult human sexual behaviors
  
• studies of evolved male and female mating strategies, mate preferences, and sexual psychologies
  
• a brief history of the theory of evolution
  
• ancient culture, archeology, and an overview of premodern human sexuality
  
• evolutionary history of sexual pleasure
  
• human mating strategies
  
• development of mate preferences
  
• sexual signals, such as distinctive physical features, material wealth, etc.
  
• theories of the evolution of same-sex sexual attraction and behavior
  
• Primatologist Paul Vasey’s observations of female Japanese macaques and their female-female sexual encounters—with an examination of human male-male behavior
  
• evolutionary history of female-female affectional bonding with a new theory on the behavior
  
• evolutionary history of male-male sexual behavior—with intriguing thoughts on why it happened
  
• evolutionary history of pheromones as chemical messengers
  
• much more
  
  

Handbook of the Evolution of Human Sexuality is an important, thought-provoking resource perfect for evolutionary psychologists, sexologists, educators, researchers, scholars, and graduate students.