Summary of David M. Buss's The Evolution of Desire

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Sample Book Insights: #1 The elements of human mating are extremely confusing. We grow up believing in true love, finding our one and only, and assuming that once we do, we will live happily ever after. But reality rarely coincides with our beliefs. #2 Sexual selection is the process by which certain characteristics are chosen based on their mating benefits, instead of their survival benefits. It takes two forms: same-sex competition, in which members of the same sex compete with each other, and mate choice, in which individuals choose a mate based on their preferences for particular qualities. #3 The theory of sexual selection was first developed to explain mating behavior, and it was fiercely resisted by male scientists for over a century because it seemed to grant too much power to females. #4 I began an international study to see how mates are selected in different cultures, and found that many of the findings did not agree with conventional thinking. They forced a shift from the standard view of men’s and women’s sexual psychology.