Sex at Dawn: How We Mate, Why We Stray by Christopher Ryan & Cacilda Jetha - Non Fiction - Paperback

Details:. Condition: BRAND NEW. Format: Paperback. ISBN: 9780061707810. Publisher: Harper Perennial. Overview:. Sex at Dawn is a daring challenge to the entrenched assumption that humans are naturally built for lifelong sexual monogamy. Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jetha draw on anthropology, primatology, archaeology, and anatomy to reconstruct how our prehistoric ancestors actually lived and loved. Witty, rigorous, and endlessly debated since its release, this paperback is essential reading for anyone curious about the evolutionary story behind desire and modern relationships.. About the Book:. Sex at Dawn sets out to dismantle the "standard narrative" of human sexual evolution - the idea that men and women naturally pair off for life to raise children together. Instead, Ryan and Jetha present evidence that early human societies were far more cooperative and sexually fluid, with food, childcare, and partners often shared across small, egalitarian groups. The authors lean heavily on comparisons with our closest primate relatives, bonobos and chimpanzees, as well as studies of surviving hunter-gatherer communities, to argue that possessive, jealousy-driven monogamy is a relatively recent cultural invention rather than a biological default. They trace this shift to the agricultural revolution, when land ownership, inheritance, and paternity certainty reshaped mating systems into something resembling modern marriage. Along the way, the book tackles provocative and detailed topic...