Human Reproductive Behaviour

A central aspect of human adaptation - reproductive behaviour - is studied through the multiple lenses of philosophy, biology, psychology and anthropology, all united by an evolutionary perspective. Although reproduction is an intrinsic mechanism of evolution, this colloquium shows that reproductive behaviours yield new significance for evolution theory when re-examined in a multidisciplinary setting. This volume focuses on explication of the adaptive, evolved nature of our own reproduction with topics such as how mate choice shaped human nature; symmetry in mate selection; the evolution of moral dispositions; and the sexist order of the bonobos. This look at reproduction as a mechanism of human evolution reveals underlying physiologic mechanisms, as well as comparative and interesting cross-cultural aspects that emerge from social sciences and anthropology.

Few things come more naturally to us than sex—or so it would seem. Yet to a chimpanzee, the sexual practices and customs we take for granted would appear odd indeed. He or she might wonder why we bother with inconveniences like clothes, why we prefer to make love on a bed, and why we fuss so needlessly over privacy. Evolution and Human Sexual Behavior invites us into the thought-experiment of imagining human sex from the vantage point of our primate cousins, in order to underscore the role of evolution in shaping all that happens, biologically and behaviorally, when romantic passions are aroused. Peter Gray and Justin Garcia provide an interdisciplinary synthesis that draws on the latest discoveries in evolutionary theory, genetics, neuroscience, comparative primate research, and cross-cultural sexuality studies. They are our guides through an exploration of the patterns and variations that exist in human sexuality, in chapters covering topics ranging from the evolution of sex differences and reproductive physiology to the origins of sexual play, monogamous unions, and the facts and fictions surrounding orgasm. Intended for generally curious readers of all stripes, this up-to-date, one-volume survey of the evolutionary science of human sexual behavior explains why sexuality has remained a core fascination of human beings throughout time and across cultures.

Despite recent advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of human behavior, little of this work has penetrated into formal demography. Very few demographers worry about how biological processes might affect voluntary behavior choices that have demographic consequences even though behavioral geneticists have documented genetics effects on variables such as parenting and divorce. Offspring: Human Fertility Behavior in Demographic Perspective brings together leading researchers from a wide variety of disciplines to review the state of research in this emerging field and to identify promising research directions for the future.

Sexual compatibility between male and female partners is in dispensable to normal and successful fertilization in mammals. Thus, the genes from males and females whose sexual behavior is characterized by awkwardness, ineptness, and miscues are elimi nated from the gene pool of the species. In human societies, this compatibility is not always evident; and the behavior that precedes and accompanies copulation and fertilization is exceed ingly complex and affected by many variables. As in most other species of animals, the entire repertoire of reproductive behavior of man is not well understood by man. When viewed, discussed, or reported, the topic is too often and most unfortunately regarded as an amalgam of emotion, mysticism, and biology. In the past, such emotion-charged approaches to the biologi cal fact of reproduction did much to obfuscate the subject; and as a result, much of the array of hormonal, neural, psychological, and social variables that control and insure the successful repro duction of the human species remains even now in Victorian ignor ance. But with the recent rash of books and scientific treatises on the subject, some progress has been made in elucidating human reproduction and associated sexual behavior. However, so entrench ed are some of our social taboos that the danger still lurks of equating social acceptance of the words with an understandin- all too lacking--of the process to which they refer.

Understanding the processes that control and guide human reproductive behaviour remains one of the central issues in a world where population explosion has led to serious habitat degradation and overcrowding. Although researchers from a number of biological and social sciences have had a specific interest in the processes of reproduction, they have rarely taken more than a cursory interest in each other's findings. In this volume, reproductive biologists, evolutionary biologists, demographers and anthropologists share their views on the factors that influence human fertility. The contributors explore the ways in which the endocrinological system controls the processes of fertility, and is in turn regulated by energetic factors such as workload. The ways in which these proximate mechanisms themselves reflect and interact with the longterm functional goals of evolutionary processes (geared ultimately to the replication of genes) forms an important framework for the biological perspective. An important part of that biological framework is made up of the economic, social and cultural milieux within which individuals in contemporary and historical societies attempt to manage their fertility.

In recent years, a new discipline has arisen that argues human behaviour can be understood in terms of evolutionary processes. Evolutionary Explanations of Human Behaviour is an introductory level book covering evolutionary psychology, this new and controversial field. The book deals with three main areas: human reproductive behaviour, evolutionary explanations of mental disorders and the evolution of intelligence and the brain. The book is particularly suitable for the AQA-A A2 syllabus, but will also be of interest to undergraduates studying evolutionary psychology for the first time and anyone with a general interest in this new discipline.

This volume in the Springer Series in Evolutionary Psychology presents a state of the art view of the topic of sexuality and sexual behavior drawing on theoretical constructs and research of noted individuals in the field. Comprehensive and multi-disciplinary, this book seeks to provide a broad overview without sacrificing the complexity of a multi-faceted approach. The book is framed by introductory and closing sections that provide a context for the range of ideas contained within. Ample space is provided in designated sections that focus on key areas of sexuality from both male and female perspectives and that include information from primate studies. This volume can serve as a graduate text in sexual behavior in evolutionary terms and as a guide for further research.

The purpose of this comprehensive text is to increase awareness of human reproduction and its consequences. The central theme links reproductive capacity, the social consequences of the multiple stresses this places on the environment and the ways this relates back to the reproductive health of humans and other animals. In the first section, the biology of human reproduction is discussed, including such topics as the treatment and causes of infertility, growth and maturation, parental behaviour and neonate biology. The effects of procreational biology on the foundation of human social structure are also examined. The second part deals with reproduction as it relates to health and social issues such as stress, fertility control, AIDS, teratogens and errors of sexual differentiation. It is an invaluable resource for all those wishing to update their knowledge of human reproductive biology.