Psychologists often paint a picture of human mating as visceral, instinctual. But that's not the whole story. In courtship and display, sexual competition and rivalry, we are also guided by what Glenn Geher and Scott Barry Kaufman call Mating Intelligence--a range of mental abilities that have evolved to help us find the right partner. Mating Intelligence is at work in our efforts to form, maintain, and end relationships. It guides us in flirtation, foreplay, copulation, finding and choosing a mate, and many other behaviors. In Mating Intelligence Unleashed, psychologists Geher and Kaufman take readers on a fascinating tour of the crossroads of mating and intelligence, drawing on cutting-edge research on evolutionary psychology, intelligence, creativity, personality, social psychology, neuroscience, and more. The authors show that despite what you may read in the latest issue of Maxim, Playboy, Vogue, or GQ, physical attractiveness isn't the whole story. Human mating draws on a range of mental skills and attributes--from the creative use of pick-up lines, to displays of charisma, intelligence, humor, personality, and compassion. Along the way, the authors shed new light on age-old questions, such as: What role does personality play in mating? Which traits are attractive--and which traits repulse? How do people really choose mates? How do men and women deceive each other? How important is emotional intelligence? Why do people create art--and does it have anything to do with sex? Do nice guys really finish last? Since Glenn Geher coined the term Mating Intelligence in 2006, it has drawn a great deal of media attention, ranging from a Psychology Today cover story to articles in the New Scientist, the Washington Times, the Huffington Post, and elsewhere. Now, in Mating Intelligence Unleashed, readers will have the first full account of this revolutionary new approach to dating, mating, and love.

Until recently, evolutionary psychologists have considered human mating behavior to be universal and similar to other animals, painting a picture of human mating as visceral, animalistic, and instinctual. But that's not the whole story. In courtship and display, sexual competition and rivalry, we are guided by Mating Intelligence, or the range of psychological abilities designed for sexual reproduction. In this book, psychologists Glenn Geher and Scott Barry Kaufman take a fascinating tour of the intersection of r sing and intelligence by drawing on cutting-edge research on evolutionary psychology, intelligence, creativity, personality, social psychology, developmental psychology, neuroscience, epigenetics, and more. This book will change the way you think about sex, dating, love, and the human mind.

TABLE OF CONTENTS: Part 1. Introduction. D. Buss, Foreword. Preface. G. Geher, G. Miller, J. Murphy, Mating Intelligence: Towards an Evolutionarily Informed Construct. Part 2. Mate Search and Mating Intelligence. L. Penke, P.M. Todd, A.P. Lenton, B. Fasolo, How Self-assessments Can Guide Human Mating Decisions. C. De Backer, J. Braeckman, L. Farinpour, Mating Intelligence in Personal Ads. Part 3. Strategic Flexibility in Mating Intelligence. N. Li, Intelligent Priorities: Adaptive Long- and Short-Term Mate Preferences. D. Nettle, H. Clegg, Personality, Mating Strategies, and Mating Intelligence. M. OSullivan, Deception and Self-deception as Strategies in Short and Long-term Mating. V.A. Weekes-Shackelford, J.A. Easton, E.A. Stone, How Having Children Affects Mating Psychology. Part 4. Mental Fitness Indicators and Mating Intelligence. M.C. Keller, The Role of Mutations in Human Mating. A. Shaner, G. Miller, J. Mintz, Mental Disorders as Catastrophic Failures of Mating Intelligence. Part 5. Mating Intelligence and Other Individual Differences. S.B. Kaufman, A. Kozbelt, M.L. Bromley, G. Miller, The Role of Creativity and Humor in Mate Selection. J.J. Casey, J. Garrett, M.A. Brackett, S. Rivers, Emotional Intelligence, Relationship Quality, and Partner Selection. S. Kanazawa, Mating Intelligence and General Intelligence as Independent Constructs. Part 6. The Ecological Context of Mating Intelligence. J. Ash, G.G. Gallup, Jr., Brain Size, Intelligence, and Paleoclimatic Variation. A.J. Figueredo, B.H. Brumbach, D.N. Jones, J.A. Sefcek, G. Vásquez, W.J. Jacobs, Ecological Constraints on Mating Tactics. Part 7. Conclusions. G. Miller, Mating Intelligence: Frequently Asked Questions. G. Geher, M.A. Camargo, S. ORourke, Mating Intelligence: An Integrative Model and Future Research Directions.

Questioning everything we know about the childhood predictors of adult greatness, a cognitive psychologist, who was told as a child that he wasn't smart enough to graduate from high school, explores the latest research to uncover the truth about human potential.

ìAt long last, a readable, accessible, user friendly introduction to evolutionary psychology written by a rising star in the field. This book, filled with a broad array of fascinating topics, is bound to further whet the appetite of a growing number of students who have been inspired by this provocative, yet eminently testable approach to human behavior.î Gordon G. Gallup Jr., PhD University at Albany "A frolicking, down-to-earth, and informative introduction to the ever evolving and controversial field of evolutionary psychology." Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD Author, Ungifted: Intelligence Redefined ìGlenn Geher has created a text that is both comprehensive in coverage and scope and very accessible. It should be a welcome addition to the field that serves to further individuals' understanding of Evolutionary Psychology.î T. Joel Wade, PhD Professor and Chair of Psychology, Bucknell University This is a concise and student-friendly survey of the burgeoning field of evolutionary psychology (EP) and the controversies that surround it. Evolutionary psychology is an approach to studying human behavior that is rooted in modern evolutionary theory. Firmly grounded in the theoretical and research literature of EP, the book addresses the core theories, approaches, applications, and current findings that comprise this discipline. It is unique in its interdisciplinary focus, which encompasses EPís impact on both psychological and non-psychological disciplines. Written by an eminent evolutionary psychologist who is President of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society, the text examines psychological processes that lead to human survival and those that may lead to reproductive benefitsósometimes even at a cost to survival. It cites a rich body of literature that provides insights into the role of sexual selection in shaping the human mind. The text presents current research on such important domains of EP as childhood, courtship, intrasexual competition, sex, pair-bonding, parenting, familial relations, non-familial relations, aggression, and altruism. Considering the potential of EP to mitigate some of our greatest social problems, the text examines the ways in which EP can be applied to society and religion. It also offers a thoughtful, balanced approach to such controversies in EP as the issues of genetic determinism, racism, and sexism. Key Features: Provides a broad survey one of the most recent, widely researched, and controversial fields to emerge in psychology over the past 20 years Written by an eminent evolutionary psychologist who is President of the Northeastern Evolutionary Psychology Society Presents EP concepts in an accessible, student-friendly way Offers a unique interdisciplinary focus that addresses the impact of EP on both psychological and non-psychological disciplines Emphasizes controversies within the field of evolutionary psychology and includes critiques of EP from people outside this discipline

Positive psychologists focus on ways that we can advance the lives of individuals and communities by studying the factors that increase positive outcomes such as life satisfaction and happiness. Evolutionary psychologists use the principles of evolution, based on Darwin's understanding of life, to help shed light on any and all kinds of psychological phenomena. This book brings together both fields to explore positive evolutionary psychology: the use of evolutionary psychology principles to help people and communities experience more positive and fulfilling lives. Across eleven chapters, this book describes the basic ideas of both evolutionary and positive psychology, elaborates on the integration of these two fields as a way to help advance the human condition, discusses several domains of human functioning from the perspective of positive evolutionary psychology, and finally, looks with an eye toward the future of work in this emerging and dynamic field. Over the past few decades, evolutionary psychologists have begun to crack the code on such phenomena as happiness, gratitude, resilience, community, and love. This book describes these facets of the human experience in terms of their evolutionary origins and proposes how we might guide people to optimally experience such positive phenomena in their everyday lives.

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 Jethå. While debunking almost everything we "know" about sex, they offer a bold alternative explanation in this provocative and brilliant book. Ryan and Jethå'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 Jethå 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.