Hormonal The hidden intelligence of hormones : how they drive desire, shape relationships, influence our choices, and make us wiser

The prevailing thought for centuries was that humans were different from animals, not controlled by hormones that regulated reproduction, engaging in sexual relations at any time, not just when "in heat." Because women's hormone cycles are more complex than men's, most medical researchers used only men in clinical trials and only male rats in their labs. This led to poor treatment for women, who may respond differently to drugs. This policy has changed, but the idea that hormones make women more emotional and erratic persists. Haselton (psychology, Univ. of California Los Angeles), an evolutionary psychologist, notes that hormones do influence women, but they do not impair decision making. She feels that women need to understand their physiology so that they can use it for empowerment, and her book offers an accessible explanation of the female hormone cycle at all stages of life, along with a crash course on the various methods of contraception. It will help women make informed decisions about when and whether to bear children. Notes cite both popular and scientific sources. -Verdict A useful resource for anyone interested in physiology. [See Prepub Alert, 9/11/17.]-Barbara Bibel, formerly Oakland P.L. © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

All the latest findings on women's hormones and "a call to action for more information onfemale brains and bodies."In this comprehensive analysis, Haselton (Psychology/UCLA; co-editor: Evolution and the Social Mind: Evolutionary Psychology and Social Cognition, 2007), who directs the Evolutionary Psychology Lab at UCLA, offers readers in-depth scrutiny of the many types of hormones women have and their effects during the menstrual cycle. She shows how women have high and low points during their monthly cycles and respond more enthusiastically toward men during their high periods and less favorably during their low. She compares the way hormones influenced women thousands of years ago and discusses how these same instincts often still apply when it comes to finding a mate. She also chronicles research techniques involved in the study of hormones, such as sniff tests to discover how women respond to the sweat scents found in men's clothing and also how they react to other women's scents during their high or low cycles. Essentially, this semitechnical treatise covers everything anyone could ever want to know about the hormonal cycles of women, from birth through puberty and the childbearing years and into menopause. "Every girl and woman benefits from understanding the scope of hormonal cycles, the hows, whens, and whys," writes the author. "We should become familiar with the potential nudges that affect our behavior. And we should know that choosing to act on those behaviors is an individual choice, dependent upon our own preferences and goals. Being nave to our hormonal natures will not help us. Being hormonally intelligent, on the other hand, will." Haselton provides a useful tool for women in that quest to become better informed about a significant aspect of their lives.Well-researched, occasionally dense explanations of women's hormones and how they affect them on a regular basis. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.