Kindle
$14.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Paperback
$17.57
Audio CD
$35.00
Kindle Price: $14.99

Save $5.00 (25%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $21.83

Save: $8.84 (40%)

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

David M. Buss
+ Follow
More books from this author
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Evolution of Desire: Strategies of Human Mating Kindle Edition

by David M. Buss (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 686 ratings
See all formats and editions
Great on Kindle
Great Experience. Great Value.
iphone with kindle app
Putting our best book forward
Each Great on Kindle book offers a great reading experience, at a better value than print to keep your wallet happy.

Explore your book, then jump right back to where you left off with Page Flip.

View high quality images that let you zoom in to take a closer look.

Enjoy features only possible in digital – start reading right away, carry your library with you, adjust the font, create shareable notes and highlights, and more.

Discover additional details about the events, people, and places in your book, with Wikipedia integration.
Get the free Kindle app: Link to the kindle app page Link to the kindle app page
Enjoy a great reading experience when you buy the Kindle edition of this book. Learn more about Great on Kindle, available in select categories.
A “drop-dead shocker” (Washington Post Book World) that uses evolutionary psychology to explain human mating and the mysteries of love If we all want love, why is there so much conflict in our most cherished relationships? To answer this question, we must look into our evolutionary past, argues prominent psychologist David M. Buss. Based one of the largest studies of human mating ever undertaken, encompassing more than 10,000 people of all ages from thirty-seven cultures worldwide, The Evolution of Desire is the first work to present a unified theory of human mating behavior. Drawing on a wide range of examples of mating behavior — from lovebugs to elephant seals, from the Yanomamö tribe of Venezuela to online dating apps — Buss reveals what women want, what men want, and why their desires radically differ. Love has a central place in human sexual psychology, but conflict, competition, and manipulation also pervade human mating — something we must confront in order to control our own mating destiny.

Updated to reflect the very latest scientific research on human mating, this definitive edition of this classic work of evolutionary psychology explains the powerful forces that shape our most intimate desires.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Print length
    450 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Basic Books
  5. Publication date
    December 27, 2016
  6. File size
    2334 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page
Hard Rock apparel
Outerwear, tees, and accessories. Discover the rock shop.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Filled with insight, surprises, and lucid explanations of the latest ideas and discoveries from the sciences of love and sex.

-- "Steven Pinker, New York Times bestselling author"

About the Author

Greg Tremblay is a voice talent and Earphones Award-winning audiobook narrator.



David M. Buss, one of the founders of the field of evolutionary psychology, is a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he teaches courses in evolutionary psychology and the psychology of human mating. He is the author of several books, including The Evolution of Desire, Evolutionary Psychology, and The Dangerous Passion. His and Cindy M. Meston's article Why Humans Have Sex garnered international attention when it was published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01J16LJQ2
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; 4th edition (December 27, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 27, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2334 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 450 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 686 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
David M. Buss

David M. Buss

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

After completing his doctorate in at the University of California, Berkeley, David Buss spent four years as Assistant Professor at Harvard University. He then migrated to the University of Michigan, where he taught for 11 years before accepting his current position at the University of Texas at Austin. His primary interests include the evolutionary psychology of human mating strategies; conflict between the sexes; prestige, status, and social reputation; the emotion of jealousy; homicide; anti-homicide defenses; defenses against sexual victimization; and stalking.

Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
686 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Hermès Trismegistus
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Informative
Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book explains human mating behaviors. It explains how and why men and women chose their mates. It explains what makes people cheat and what makes people stay committed. It explains how to keep a mate and how people lose mates. It answers a lot of questions about human mating behaviors and sheds light on topics many people have misunderstood for years.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
tommy fadgen
5.0 out of 5 stars book is crazy good
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
One of my 5 favorite books of all time. Exceptional insight into the evolution of relationships and desire between male and female human beings. Can’t recommend enough.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
MartyMart
5.0 out of 5 stars Required Reading for anyone in & out of a LTR
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
Valuable insight for anyone going through a divorce.

Even more prescient for those considering long term comittment.
Learning that men and women have conflicting and competing mating strategies is something more people need to be aware of, especially in the age if social media where the grass always looks greener.
Helpful
 Report
Kindle Customer :)
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, refreshing take
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2024
Verified Purchase
A lot of relational and gendered challenges we face today... Actually go way back to our evolutionary history. It's a refreshing perspective to see this topic through the lens of mating strategies and evolution. Some of these findings might seem common sense. Common and evolutionary doesn't mean acceptable and ethical though.
Helpful
 Report
Weeman
5.0 out of 5 stars Hands down one of my top 5 favorite books!
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2020
Verified Purchase
Most definitely a "decoding the matrix" book. A real gem. Once you read the material, think about your past experiences, observe other relationships, and do some testing (don't trust, verify!) there's no turning back . You can't unread this material. This book doesn't get crazy scientific so its a great read. Its akin to describing how a program works rather than going deep into code and getting too technical to the point of putting the reader to sleep.

I believe this subject is still debated among scientists, but its safe for me to accept the religious/Disney/Hollywood portrayal of romance, sex, and marriage is... a lie. You have to wonder why the divorce rate is 50%+, most marriages are miserable, marriages kill libido, many cheat, and so forth. Your dreams might be crushed reading this book so avoid it if you want to stay in Wonderland.

The author provides many observations and comparisons of human behavior (among many cultures) to the animal kingdom. There are interesting mating patterns that can be found (even in insects!). The most interesting topic I remember is the Coolidge Effect where males tire and withdraw from having sex with the same female partner. The Coolidge Effect has been tested many times on mammals and the same pattern can be observed (very predictable). However, when a new partner is introduced the male will have sex like its the Olympics.

A great book for both men and women to explore human nature.
47 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Bryon Jaffee
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Informative
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2022
Verified Purchase
One of my favorites and explains alot. Will answer many questions.
Helpful
 Report
AJotou
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible Book
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
This book will change your perception of the undercurrents of modern social interactions. Excellent top-shelf science with proper, large wide spread sample groups, and cross referencing across multiple species. Written by a true genius on the subject. Just one piece of advice.... if you start the book you absolutely must finish it to the last page or else you will miss the main point and find yourself weighing a host of inaccurate misperceptions. The author wrote the book to make strong statements that lead up to the seriously important conclusions at the end.
8 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Joe Meuth
5.0 out of 5 stars Illuminating
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2023
Verified Purchase
I’d recommend this book to any curious person, and would say it is essential for anyone looking to better understand differences between the sexes or their own psychology.
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Caio Pereira
5.0 out of 5 stars Sensacional!
Reviewed in Brazil on December 19, 2022
Verified Purchase
Se você gosta de comportamento humano e se interessa em saber por que nos relacionamentos da forma como o fazemos, por que homens e mulheres são atraídos de forma diferente pelo sexo oposto, por que existe a traição, ciúmes, violência, então você deve ler este livro!

Em "The Evolution of Desire" o professor autor David M. Buss, através de extensas pesquisas ao redor do mundo, mostra com números e percentuais como homens e mulheres se relacionam. Nesta obra, o autor coloca em cheque muitas crenças e percepções acerca das estratégias que membros da nossa espécie utilizam para atrair, reter ou mesmo trocar de parceiros. Por mais que dispomos de valores morais, éticos, que nos guiam para construir uma sociedade melhor, ainda agimos (e muito) por instinto quando lidamos com sexo e atração do sexo oposto.

Diferente do que muitos pensam, dividimos muitas preferências comuns como espécie, seja morando em uma megalópole ou em uma tribo isolada na Amazônia. Homens tendem a valorizar certos atributos, enquanto as mulheres valorizam outros totalmente diferentes. Também existem fatores culturais e contextuais que somam às nossas escolhas de parceiros e parceiras. Tudo isso, faz com que o ser humano seja uma espécie quase única, sendo capaz de adaptar suas preferências sexuais a fim de continuar perseverando no mundo.

Esse livro é sensacional! Super recomendo!
One person found this helpful
 Report
B
5.0 out of 5 stars Required reading for young adults
Reviewed in Canada on May 2, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is one of the only unbiased books on this subject free of misogynist/misandrist undertones. The author is an older professor who takes the time to summarize studies and tie them in with modern human sexuality. I would recommend this to young people, partly to avoid the toxic environments and authors typically associated with these types of books.

Many of the things in this book may be common knowledge to older people with relationship experience, but it is very helpful to understand and partially validate suspicions experienced in early adulthood. There are plenty of interesting comparisons between the genders regarding social status, money, and exclusivity. There should be a couple of "aha" moments for anyone reading the book, regardless of age.

An example is the finding that men desire a larger number of sexual partners compared to women, and primarily value fidelity in their spouses (without caring if she has "male friends"). On the other hand, women responded with a much lower ideal number of lifetime sexual partners, and value exclusivity with respect to money, resources, and attention. Infidelity without attachment is viewed as less of a "deal breaker" to women.

This made a lot of sense to me with my experiences. Men do not care if their girlfriend has close male friends, as long as they will never have sex. Women get very jealous (an evolutionary response!) when their boyfriends have close female friends, even if they will never have sex.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Quix95
5.0 out of 5 stars Gutes Buch
Reviewed in Germany on January 19, 2023
Verified Purchase
kann man auf jeden Fall viel draus lernen.
Report
Esha
5.0 out of 5 stars Explores Evolutionary Psychology in a Balanced and Nuanced Way
Reviewed in India on October 13, 2022
Verified Purchase
I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. This book opened my third eye 🤣
It explores what each gender’s sexual strategies are, how people acquire mates, why cultures’ sexual mores differ from one another and much more.

It’s difficult to change evolutionary instincts hardwired in us. This book seeks to explain how those instincts came about such as mate guarding and sexual jealousy, and what conflicts these adaptations were designed to resolve.
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Ilya Watteau
5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the time and the money !
Reviewed in France on September 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
Excellent book, each pages is filled with information, studies and fact. So if you are interested in evolutionary psychology and human mating, this book is the perfect investment both in term of time and money.

Also unlike many others books on the subject written by academics, the author always stay on the subject and in a very objective manner contrary to many book written by intellectuals, who seems to be more interested in giving their opinions and trying to make a subject more complicated than it really is to sound smart.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report