The New York Times – By ELAINE BLAIR – June 13, 2013 – BOOK REVIEW – ‘What Do Women Want?’ by Daniel Bergner
It seems Bergner, like Esther Perel, seeks scientific clarity on female desire.
Bergner paints a portrait of female lust: the triggers, the fantasies, the mind-body connection (and disconnection), the reasons behind the loss of libido, and proposes that this loss is not inevitable.
Bergner asks: Are women actually the less monogamous gender? Do women really crave intimacy and emotional connection? Are women more disposed to sex with strangers and multiple pairings than either science or society have ever let on? And is “the fairer sex” actually more sexually aggressive and anarchic than men?
I have been mulling over the value of having these questions answered. Can nothing be left un-examined? Is there not a loss in perusing scientific understanding of sex? I cringe at the image of a woman masturbating while hooked up to an MRI machine. Yet, with some reservation, I come to the notion that signing off on all that research (not that anyone asked for my permission) is wise. Freedom, which is so integral to sense of wellbeing, is the offspring of insight. And without insight (the ability to reflect on our own experience from moment to moment) we forfeit our agency (our ability to control our own energy and attitudes, and therefore our behaviors and thoughts). So, let’s roll up our sleeves and do the heavy lifting of trying to understand this sex thing.
Amazon.com: ‘What Do Women Want?’ by Daniel Bergner