Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?

Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That?

Summary

Jesse Bering - author, psychologist, academic - has what you might call an enquiring mind. He takes the kind of questions about sex and sexuality which many of us have idly wondered about and he applies his knowledge of experimental psychology and rigorous scientific analysis to them until he finds an actual answer. It may surprise you, but there are serious evolutionary reasons why the penis is shaped like that, and why human testicles dangle is such an apparently vulnerable manner. If you would like to find out what human pubic hair has in common with a gorilla's fur, why girls are so cruel to each other, what happens if you swallow rather than spit, or why you should think twice about asking a gay man for directions, then this is the book for you.

Based on Jesse Bering's columns for Scientific American, this endlessly fascinating, hilarious and downright gob-smacking book really does tell you everything you ever wanted to know about sex, but were afraid to ask...

Reviews

  • Jesse Bering is the Hunter Thompson of science writing, and he is a delight to read - funny, smart, and madly provocative
    Professor Paul Bloom, Yale University

About the author

Jesse Bering

Jesse Bering is an award-winning science writer specializing in evolutionary psychology and human behavior. His ‘Bering in Mind’ column at Scientific American was named a 2010 Webby Award Honoree by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. His previous books are, The Belief Instinct whichwas included in the American Library Association’s Top 25 Books of the Year.This was followed by a collection of his previously published essays, Why Is the Penis Shaped Like That? and Perv , a taboo-shattering work igniting discussion and fierce debates, named as a New YorkTimes Editor’s Choice.
A developmental psychologist by training, Bering is a renowned expert in the field ofcognitive science and religion, He began his career at the University of Arkansas, as an Assistant Professor of Psychology from 2002 to 2006. He then served as the Director of the Institute of Cognition and Culture at the Queen’s University, Belfast until 2011. Presently, he is an Associate Professor of Science Communication at the University of Otago, New Zealand.
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