Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?
Bodies, Behavior, and Brains—The Science
Behind Sex, Love & Attraction
Jena Pincott, 2008
Random House
368 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780385342162
Summary
How do the seasons affect your sex life? Is your lover more likely to get you pregnant than your husband? Are good dancers also good in bed?
If you’ve ever wondered how scientists measure love—or whether men really prefer blondes—this smart, sexy book provides real answers to these and many other questions about our most baffling dating and mating behaviors.
Based on the latest research in biology, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and cognitive science, Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes? dares to explain the science behind sex—and opens a fascinating window on the intriguing phenomenon of love and attraction. Did you know…
•When a couple first fall in love, their brains are indistinguishable from those of the clinically insane
•You can tell a lot about a person’s sexual chemistry just by looking at his or her hands
•Your genes influence whose body odors you prefer
Viewed through the lens of science and instinct, your love life might be seen in a completely different way. This book provides both an in-depth exploration into our sexual psyches—and fresh advice for men and women who want to discover the secrets of successful relationships. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Education—B.S., Hampshire College; M.A., New York
University
• Currently—lives in New York City, New York
My saving grace as a science geek is that I have a real interest in beauty, style, and romance. For me, my latest book, Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?, was a dream project—it's about the science of love and attraction.
Eons ago, I graduated from Hampshire College with a dual major in biology and media studies. I had a scary incident in the lab and decided that the life of a career scientist, growing bacteria in Petri dishes, wasn't for me. Seeking a happy medium, I became a PA on science documentaries for PBS, and then moved on to book publishing. I was an editor of business and general nonfiction books at John Wiley & Sons, where I rekindled my love for "dead tree" media. I received an M.A. from NYU; my thesis was on science and the sublime in the works of Thomas Pynchon. Later, I became a senior editor of "prescriptive" nonfiction (how-to) and reference books at Random House. Then I left it all to be a full-time writer.
My other books run the gamut from self-help and motivation (Healing and the bestseller Success) to science, technology, business, and history (Technomanifestos, Making the Cisco Connection)
I live in New York City and play the clarinet. I travel as much as I possibly can, usually with my husband, Peter, and I hope to learn Mandarin someday. I also write science fiction under a pen name. (From the author's website)
Book Reviews
This book is likely to prompt conversations with friends that start with, "Hey, have you ever wondered why people... ?... A cross between Cosmopolitan and Scientific American... an insightful and amusing read.
Associated Press
Jena Pincott may have performed a kind of public service in compiling in easy, brief form the findings from recent studies on sex and stuff. But before we answer the title question—Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?—we'll give you the breaking news. You know how grim the economy is? Everyone should be depressed, right? But it seems that in hard times men prefer women who are slightly older, heavier, taller and have large waists.
Sherryl Connelly - NY Daily News
Why do we find some people beautiful and others not? And is there anything we can do to make ourselves more attractive? In her fascinating new book, Do Gentlemen Really Prefer Blondes?, American science journalist Jena Pincott collates scores of academic studies to reveal what really makes us attractive to the opposite sex.
Daily Mail (UK) (via Huffington Post)
Pincott's breezy little book examines...queries about love and romance while supplying answers based on the latest scientific findings. The witty New York City author ponders such burning questions as, "Is chocolate really an aphrodisiac?" and, "Why do men love big breasts?" Reading just one page of this charmer is as impossible as eating one potato chip.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
[An}informative and amusing book...The short answers are judiciously packed with information culled from hundreds of peer-reviewed studies. All of it is relayed in a light, engaging tone....Open up the doors to some fascinating research.
Weekly Standard
In these playfully written scientific anecdotes, Pincott 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.
Publishers Weekly
Former science editor Pincott explores the science of attraction based on the latest scientific studies in biology, evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and the cognitive sciences. Organizing the text into three sections ("Behaviors," "Bodies," and "Brains"), she answers around 100 questions we've all wondered about or asked: What makes a face good-looking? Why do some men smell better to you than others? How might your mom's and dad's ages influence your attractions to older faces? The studies themselves are intriguing, and sometimes it is simply hard to believe that anyone has actually examined, for instance, a "low digit ratio" (which involves which finger is longer-your ring finger or your index finger-and is related to how much prenatal exposure a person has had to the hormone testosterone). It becomes obvious that we are aware of only a small part of what drives our choices when it comes to choosing whom to marry or with whom we have a sexual relationship. What's not quite so obvious is how this information can be used by those looking for a soul mate. This book puts together a tremendous amount of potentially useful information in a well-written, entertaining, and easy-to-understand format. Recommended for all public libraries.
Mary E. Jones - Library Journal
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Do Gentlement Really Prefer Blonds?:
1. What surprised you most about Pincott's book? Which sections left you with a "suspicions confirmed" feeling...a knowing nod of your head? Any study results that confound you..or you feel can't possibly be true?
2. The studies Pincott compiled indicate how little rational control we have over our initial sexual attractions: she writes, "All the time...you're making decisions beyond your conscious awareness, and people respond to you in ways and for reasons unconscious to them." Do you find that information comforting...or disconcerting?
3. Do the "rules of attraction" as spelled out in this book seem to favor you...or not? Are they even "fair"? (And who says life is fair?)
4. In what ways are women choosier than men in selecting a mate? And why?
5. In what ways have some of Pincott's observations played out in your own life, with your own choices? Big mistakes? Little ones?
6. Discuss some of the many differences between men and women that Pincott explains in her book?
7. Do the sum total of these explanations regarding our sexual preferences undermine the mysterious quality of love...or actually enhance its mystery for you?
8. Is the way to a man's heart really through his stomach?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)
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