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Christopher Ryan (Author), Cacilda Jethá (Author)



Since Darwin s day, we ve been told that sexual monogamy comes naturally
to our species. Mainstream science- -as well as religious and cultural
institutions- -has maintained that men and women evolved in families in
which a man s possessions and protection were exchanged for a woman s
fertility and fidelity. But this narrative is collapsing. Fewer and
fewer couples are getting married, and divorce rates keep climbing as
adultery and flagging libido drag down even seemingly solid marriages.

How can reality be reconciled with the accepted narrative? It can t be,
according to renegade thinkers Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá. While
debunking almost everything we "know" about sex, they offer a bold
alternative explanation in this provocative and brilliant book.



Ryan and Jethá s central contention is that human beings evolved in
egalitarian groups that shared food, child care, and, often, sexual
partners. Weaving together convergent, frequently overlooked evidence
from anthropology, archaeology, primatology, anatomy, and
psychosexuality, the authors show how far from human nature monogamy
really is. Human beings everywhere and in every era have confronted the
same familiar, intimate situations in surprisingly different ways. The
authors expose the ancient roots of human sexuality while pointing
toward a more optimistic future illuminated by our innate capacities for
love, cooperation, and generosity.

With intelligence, humor, and wonder, Ryan and Jethá show how our
promiscuous past haunts our struggles over monogamy, sexual orientation,
and family dynamics. They explore why long-term fidelity can be so
difficult for so many; why sexual passion tends to fade even as love
deepens; why many middle-aged men risk everything for transient affairs
with younger women; why homosexuality persists in the face of standard
evolutionary logic; and what the human body reveals about the
prehistoric origins of modern sexuality.

In the tradition of the best historical and scientific writing, Sex at
Dawn unapologetically upends unwarranted assumptions and unfounded
conclusions while offering a revolutionary understanding of why we live
and love as we do.