Books

The scientific study of human mating has mushroomed over the past three decades, and this growth in turn has generated a proliferation of evolving literature revealing fresh discoveries about mate attraction, mate choice, mate retention, marital satisfaction, jealousy, infidelity, intimate partner violence, breakups, internet dating, cyberstalking, and sexual coercion. In The Oxford Handbook of Human Mating, editor David M. Buss showcases contributions from “the best and the brightest” scientists in the field, providing up-to-date summaries of theories and empirical evidence of the science of human mating strategies.

Nuova edizione del testo del padre fondatore della psicologia evoluzionistica: un manuale di riferimento completo, ma anche un’appassionante lettura scritta con piglio divulgativo e coinvolgente. Con il suo stile chiaro e incisivo, Buss descrive argomenti attuali e di vasto interesse, al cuore di una disciplina nata dalla fusione tra psicologia e biologia evoluzionistica: scelta del partner, cure genitoriali, aggressività, conflitto tra i sessi… Al lettore sono offerti esempi concreti e illuminanti, frutto di ricerche empiriche condotte dall’autore. — Pearson

“The public concern with sexual aggression is a great moral advance, but our intellectual culture has floundered in trying to understand it because it clings to myths and dogmas that defy science, common sense, and lived experience. David Buss, one of the world’s experts in sexual conflict in human mating, brings these back together in a fascinating and timely book which helps us to understand these evils and better equip us to minimize them.”

―Steven Pinker, author of Enlightenment Now

Composed of cutting-edge research and featuring an engaging writing style, the author offers compelling scientific answers to the profound human questions regarding love and work. Beginning with a historial introduction, the text logically progresses by discussing adaptive problems humans face and ends with a chapter showing how the new field of evolutionary psychology encompasses all branches of psychology. Each chapter is alive with the subjects that most occupy our minds: sex, mating, getting along, getting ahead, friends, enemies, and social hierarchies. Anyone with an interest in the biological facets of human psychology will find this a fascinating read. — Routledge

Organizing content into six domains of personality functioning (dispositional, biological, intrapsychic, cognitive/experiential, social and cultural, and adjustment), this text interweaves contemporary research with classic and modern theories within the context of each of the domains. This unique framework encourages students to view the “whole person” as the sum of influences and effects of each of the domains of personality functioning. The second edition includes the latest research, as well as a restructuring of material, and continues to bring the subject to life by incorporating a vivid, four-color design. — McGraw Hill

Through the voices of real women, Meston and Buss reveal the motivations that guide women’s sexual decisions and explain the deep-seated psychology and biology that often unwittingly drive women’s desires—sometimes in pursuit of health or pleasure, or sometimes for darker, disturbing reasons that a woman may not fully recognize. Drawing on more than a thousand intensive interviews conducted solely for the book, as well as their pioneering research on physiological response and evolutionary emotions, Why Women Have Sex uncovers an amazingly complex and nuanced portrait of female sexuality. They delve into the use of sex as a defensive tactic against a mate’s infidelity (protection), as a ploy to boost self-confidence (status), as a barter for gifts or household chores (resource acquisition), or as a cure for a migraine headache (medication). — Times Books

Capturing a scientific change in thinking about personality and individual differences that has been building over the past 15 years, this volume stands at an important moment in the development of psychology as a discipline. Rather than viewing individual differences as merely the raw material upon which selection operates, the contributing authors provide theories and empirical evidence which suggest that personality and individual differences are central to evolved psychological mechanisms and behavioral functioning. The book draws theoretical inspiration from life history theory, evolutionary genetics, molecular genetics, developmental psychology, personality psychology, and evolutionary psychology, while utilizing the theories of the “best and the brightest” international scientists working on this cutting edge paradigm shift. — Oxford University Press

The Murderer Next Door is a riveting look into the dark underworld of the human psyche — an astonishing exploration of when and why we kill and what might push any one of us over the edge. A leader in the innovative field of evolutionary psychology, Buss conducted an unprecedented set of studies investigating the underlying motives and circumstances of murders, from the bizarre outlier cases of serial killers to those of the friendly next-door neighbor who one day kills his wife. Reporting on findings that are often startling and counterintuitive — the younger woman involved in a love triangle is at a high risk of being killed — he puts forth a bold new general theory of homicide, arguing that the human psyche has evolved specialized adaptations whose function is to kill. — Penguin Books

Foreign Editions 

In addition to an in-depth survey of the theory and practice of evolutionary psychology, the text also features an enlightening discussion of this discipline in the context of the law, medicine, and culture. An Afterword by Richard Dawkins provides some final thoughts from the renowned writer and exponent of evolutionary theory. Designed to set the standard for handbooks in the field, The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology is an indispensable reference tool for every evolutionary psychologist and student. — Wiley

In this surprising and engaging exploration of men’s and women’s darker passions, David Buss, acclaimed author of The Evolution of Desire, reveals that both men and women are actually designed for jealousy. Drawing on experiments, surveys, and interviews conducted in thirty-seven countries on six continents, as well as insights from recent discoveries in biology, anthropology, and psychology, Buss discovers that the evolutionary origins of our sexual desires still shape our passions today. Buss takes us on a fascinating journey through many cultures, from pre-historic to the present, to show the profound evolutionary effect jealousy has had on all of us. Only with a healthy balance of jealousy and trust can we be certain of a mate’s commitment, devotion, and true love. — Simon & Schuster

Foreign Editions

In this surprising and engaging exploration of men’s and women’s darker passions, David Buss, acclaimed author of The Evolution of Desire, reveals that both men and women are actually designed for jealousy. Drawing on experiments, surveys, and interviews conducted in thirty-seven countries on six continents, as well as insights from recent discoveries in biology, anthropology, and psychology, Buss discovers that the evolutionary origins of our sexual desires still shape our passions today. Buss takes us on a fascinating journey through many cultures, from pre-historic to the present, to show the profound evolutionary effect jealousy has had on all of us. Only with a healthy balance of jealousy and trust can we be certain of a mate’s commitment, devotion, and true love. — Simon & Schuster

Foreign Editions

Sexual harassment in the workplace, date rape, and domestic violence dominate the headlines and have recently sparked scholarly debates about the nature of the sexes. Despite this attention, it is clear that these issues are being addressed from two essentially different perspectives: one is labeled “feminist”, while the other, viewed as antithetical to the feminist movement, is called “evolutionary psychology”, which emphasizes the history of reproductive strategies in understanding conflict between the sexes. This book brings together leading experts from both sides of the debate in order to discover how each could offer insights lacking in the other. The editors’ overall goal is to show how the feminist and evolutionary approaches are complementary despite their evident differences, then provide an integration and synthesis. — Oxford University Press

Foreign Editions