Jesse Bering is a research psychologist who delves into the intricate and often taboo aspects of human behavior and the cognitive science of religion. His writing skillfully bridges scientific inquiry with insightful observation, making complex psychological phenomena accessible and engaging for a broad audience. Bering's work explores themes of belief, sexuality, and the human psyche with a distinctive voice that is both intellectually rigorous and surprisingly personal. He offers a unique perspective on the motivations and mechanisms that drive human actions and thought.
'I have yet to come away from reading [Bering's] work and not feel considerably better informed than I was minutes before' (Forbes) This penetrating analysis aims to demystify a subject that knows no cultural or demographic boundaries.
In this eye-opening book, psychologist Jesse Bering argues that we are all sexual deviants on one level or another. He introduces us to the young woman who falls madly in love with the Eiffel Tower, a young man addicted to seductive sneezes, and a pair of deeply affectionate identical twins, among others. He challenges us to move beyond our attitudes towards âe~deviantâe(tm) sex and consider the alternative: what would happen if we rise above our fears and revulsions and accept our true natures? With his signature wit and irreverent style, Bering pulls back the curtains on the history of perversions, the biological reasons behind our distaste for unusual sexual proclivities and the latest research on desire. Armed with reason, science and an insatiable appetite for knowledge, he humanises deviants while asking some provocative questions about the nature of hypocrisy, prejudice and when sexual desire can lead to harm. A groundbreaking look at our complex relationship with our carnal urges and the ways in which we disguise, deny and shame the sexual deviant in all of us, Perv brings hidden desires into the spotlight.
Research psychologist Bering presents more than 30 of his essays from "Scientific American" and "Slate" that take readers on a journey through some of the most taboo issues related to evolution and human behavior.
In Suicidal, Bering takes us through the science and psychology of suicide, revealing its cognitive secrets and the subtle tricks our minds play on us when we're easy emotional prey. Scientific studies, personal stories, and remarkable cross-species comparisons come together to help readers critically analyze their own doomsday thoughts while gaining broad insight into a problem that, tragically, will most likely touch all of us at some point in our lives. -- Adapted from Amazon.com summary