The Sex Effect: Baring Our Complicated Relationship with Sex

(Hardback)

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Why do political leaders become entangled in so many sex scandals How did the US military inadvertently help make San Francisco a mecca of gay culture And what was the original purpose of vibrators In this well-researched exploration of human sexuality, journalist Ross Benes bares all about the role of sex in shaping the seemingly innocuous and non-sexual aspects of our lives, from religion to politics to technology. With hilarious wit, sharp insights, and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author A.J. Jacobs, The Sex Effect draws on all aspects of the social sciences, including history, psychology, religion, economics, and sociology, combining innovative research and analyses with captivating anecdotes to reveal just how much sex affects the world around us.

Reviews

"The Sex Effect is an entertaining and well-researched exploration of the unintended consequences of our sexual misapprehensions and mythologies. Benes reminds us at every turn how persistent and pervasive is the parallax between what's true about human sexuality, and what we insist on believing about it." - Rachel Maines, author of The Technology of Orgasm
"A thought-provoking read on a subject that would otherwise seem to have been overworked already." - Daniel Halperin, co-author of Tinderbox, former senior HIV prevention advisor at USAID, former faculty member of Harvard School of Public Health
"Ross Benes' smart and enjoyable book takes us on a fascinating odyssey through the hidden ways that humanity's endless struggle with sex influences the entirely unsexual aspects of our daily lives. The secret history of Graham crackers, the rise of pelvic massages by sheepish doctors, the story of military-sanctioned brothels, all are narrated with wit and unexpected insight." - Ogi Ogas, co-author of A Billion Wicked Thoughts: What the World's Largest Experiment Reveals About Human Desire
"Benes winnows out many surprising motivations behind familiar products, and also shows how, for everyone from cereal makers to pharmaceutical companies, sometimes the best-laid plans lead to marvelous tangential results. Conversational, approachable, and credible, Benes delivers story after story that will surprise you and challenge your assumptions: Once you have read this book, I doubt you will ever eat a weasel again." - Patchen Barss, author of The Erotic Engine
"Benes has combined history, epidemiology, anthropology, neuroscience and whatever it takes to produce a well-written, engaging, clever, highly informative book. The Sex Effectis a welcome respite from the usual partisan bickering and moralizing that this subject usually evokes." - Edward C. Green, former Director of the Harvard AIDS Prevention Project
"In this fascinating work, buttressed with massive research from impeccable sources, Benes shows how sex and the perception of sex affect so many aspects of cultures from why we eat corn flakes to the economic influence of gay communities and more." - Richard Kimbrough, author of History Mysteries
"The topic of sex elicits intense moral and political sentiments, so it's especially important to approach it in a clear-headed way. This book does an excellent job with that the only preaching you'll find here is in favor of a more rational understanding of sex. Far more wide-ranging than most books about sex, it surveys the diverse and counterintuitive ways in which sex impacts society. Engaging and honest, you'll be surprised by how much you learn." - Michael Price, Brunel University psychology professor and Psychology Today contributor
"This is is a no nonsense, honest, factual and clearly exposed dialogueabout human sexuality.The social constructs and interesting historical developments that shape attitudes toward masturbation,homosexuality, religious influences and scandals all come underintelligent consideration. The text isinfused with sociological andpsychological wisdom without ever being dogmatic andcertainlynever boring." - Richard Sipe, author ofA Secret World: Sexuality and the Search for Celibacy andSex, Priests, and Power: Anatomy of a Crisis
"A witty discussion of the indirect role sex plays across political, economic, religious, and cultural landscapes...a probing, multifacted commentary on the social science of sex and society...a book marinated in provocative assertions that are certain to instigate debate and productive discussion." - Kirkus Reviews

Author Bio

ROSS BENES has worked for Esquire and Deadspin, where he wrote about sex, sports, statistics, and pop culture. He's a journalist and researcher whose work has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, New York Magazine, Rolling Stone, and Slate. A native of Brainard, Nebraska, he splits time between his home state and New York.