Summary Of What Does Love Have To Do With It By Meredith Small

In the book What Does Love Have To Do With It, Meredith Small explains how sexuality is involved in human culture. Small writes, “Sexuality Surrounds us, but it is not necessarily part of us in an easy way” (4). Essentially, Small is trying to convey that sex and sexual behavior are intrinsic to human’s everyday actions and throughout society’s cultural values. However, Small also suggests that sexual behavior can lead to conflict between those very cultural values and humans’ biological foundations. In the beginning of the book, Small describes several of her favorite places that she has visited in her travels. One of her favorite places to visit and an area that she has studied closely is the red light district in Amsterdam (23). The red

While both gay and heterosexual men have sex, the main difference between gay and heterosexual men is “the anatomy of the partner at hand” (197). One of the competing theories about the origins and development of homosexuality comes from the psychoanalysts. The psychoanalysts developed their theory from Freud who talked about an instance where a hostile mother and an unloving father raise a male child. As a result of their poor parenting, the son’s mental health and behavior is affected significantly. The mother’s poor treatment of her son leads the boy to feel hatred towards all women, and the father’s lack of care for the child leads him to be more attracted to men. The boy only knew the harshness of her mother’s treatment however he never experienced what it felt like to be loved by another man, which would likely lead to his interest in men (197-199). In addition to Freud’s parenting scenario, hormonal profiles also present another theory about the origins of homosexuality. Hormonal profiles give insight into the differences between males and females as well as differences in sexual orientations. Fetuses that experience increased levels of male hormones typically result in heterosexual males and homosexual females. On the other hand, fetuses that experience low levels of male hormones often result in homosexual males and heterosexual females. Ultimately, this theory proposes that hormone levels have a significant affect on the mindset and sexual tendencies of a

Small describes several differences between what men and women seem to be interested in when it comes to sexual relations and sexual behavior. From a nature nurture perspective, sex is part of our natural desires. Similar to the way humans desire to eat food, humans also have an impulse to have sex. From a biological perspective, genes play an extremely integral role in the reason humans engage in sexual intercourse. Humans are motivated to pass their genes on to the next generation and as a result are motivated to seek out sexual partners (182). However, many people are also motivated to have sex simply because of how it feels, in an effort to show affection to another person, or because society tells them to. While men and women both experience these motivations, differences in male and female hormones guide different decisions when it comes to sexual behavior. Males are naturally highly sexually motivated to have sex with several different partners as a result of their hormonal levels. On the other hand, females hormones lead them to have more passive sexual tendencies, which is still a good way for them to pass on their genes. Women also become sexually interested in men based on different aromatic odors they may be attracted to. Biologists also suggest that women are more empathetic compared to men and strive to have more intimate sex with someone they have a relationship with. Men tend to be more interested in casual sex and can act more aggressive towards their