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When Men Behave Badly

The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault

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When Men Behave Badly

By: David M. Buss
Narrated by: Tom Parks
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About this listen

“An exceptional book” (Helen Fisher) by a leading evolutionary psychologist and sex researcher that lays out a new theory of sexual conflict, exposing the roots of the dangerous dynamics that underpin men’s predatory behavior - and what can be done to address it.

Sexual conflict permeates ancient religions, from injunctions about thy neighbor's wife to the permissible rape of infidels. It is etched in written laws that dictate who can and cannot have sex with whom. Its manifestations shape our sexual morality, evoking approving accolades or contemptuous condemnation. It produces sexual double standards that flourish even in the most sexually egalitarian cultures on earth. And although every person alive struggles with sexual conflict, most of us see only the tip of the iceberg: dating deception, a politician's unsavory sexual grab, the slow crumbling of a once-happy marriage, a romantic breakup that turns nasty.

When Men Behave Badly shows that this "battle of the sexes" is deeper and far more pervasive than anyone has recognized, revealing the hidden roots of sexual conflict - roots that originated over deep evolutionary time - which define the sexual psychology we currently carry around in our 3.5-pound brains. Providing novel insights into our minds and behaviors, When Men Behave Badly presents a unifying new theory of sexual conflict, and offers practical advice for men and women seeking to avoid it.

©2021 by David M. Buss. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Biological Sciences Evolution Evolution & Genetics Human Sexuality Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Science Marriage Health Morality

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All stars
Most relevant
Full of insights. Learnt a lot. For me it felt like there was just something missing though? I’m terms of how easy it was to follow or something. Not sure what. Still recommend, but that’s just why it’s 4 stars from me.

Very interesting. Worth a read.

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Good information. Chapter on rape is too long. This book explains why there's sexual conflict between men and women. Women want sex with the best men out there.

Worth it

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Very interesting book. Thought provoking and definitely worth reading. Easy to listen too. Good examples of how men and women see things very differently

Thought provoking

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The scientific section of this book, which takes most of it, is quite good an interesting. It does repeat a bit what David Buss has already explain in his other book, even to the point of using the same examples. Yet, it is good.

As you may imagine from the title, the focus is about men abusing women, so the opposite situation where a women takes advantage of a man's resources is not discussed at all. There seems to be not much research on it apparently.

The final chapter or so is political and even gets into contradictions with the basic ideas discussed in the rest of book. After all, David is just another human in today's world and when he gest political he also seems to lose sight of his own science. You can omit it safely as that last chapter has the same insights you would get from a stranger in a pub.

Overall, the book is good and the research work is solid.

80% good, last 20% poor

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This is a much-needed book about male sexual behaviour.

The first half of the book treats the historical relationship between heterosexual men and women and the sexual gaps between both genders. It is an outstanding piece in the field anthropology.

The second half is much more suited to the field of criminology. The author delves into the darker side of the male brain and presents the latest available research on male sexual violence, and the best suitable solutions (spoiler alert: prevention and education).

All in all, a stupendous read although please be advised: it gets rougher and cruder in the latter chapters.

A much-needed book

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