Who do we love? Who loves us? And why? Is love really a mystery, or can neuroscience offer some answers to these age-old questions?

In her third enthralling book about the brain, Judith Horstman takes us on a lively tour of our most important sex and love organ and the whole smorgasbord of our many kinds of love-from the bonding of parent and child to the passion of erotic love, the affectionate love of companionship, the role of animals in our lives, and the love of God.

Drawing on the latest neuroscience, she explores why and how we are born to love-how we're hardwired to crave the companionship of others, and how very badly things can go without love. Among the findings: parental love makes our brain bigger, sex and orgasm make it healthier, social isolation makes it miserable-and although the craving for romantic love can be described as an addiction, friendship may actually be the most important loving relationship of your life.

Based on recent studies and articles culled from the prestigious Scientific American and Scientific American Mind magazines, The Scientific American Book of Love, Sex, and the Brain offers a fascinating look at how the brain controls our loving relationships, most intimate moments, and our deep and basic need for connection.

About the Author

Judith Horstman is the author of The Scientific American Day in the Life of Your Brain and The Scientific American Brave New Brain, copublished with Scientific American. She's an award-winning science journalist whose work has been widely published and is the author of four other books.

Reviews
"This basic introduction to the neuroscience of love and sex is a good starting place for readers new to the subject...one hopes it will whet readers' appetites for more nuanced explorations of this area of research." (Library Journal, April 2012)



Book Information
ISBN 9780470647783
Author Judith Horstman
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint Jossey-Bass Inc.,U.S.
Publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc
Weight(grams) 562g
Dimensions(mm) 244mm * 188mm * 25mm