Sexual Attraction

Reviews / Votes

This book is charming. Its author writes in a comfortable style that reminds you of a grand uncle, sitting in a leather chair, chatting about things that he has thought about for some time. The observations are laced with the latest social psychological evidence. The text is also one of a kind-very few scholars, surprisingly, have written so engagingly on the nature and varieties of sexual attraction. * Elaine Hatfield, Professor of Psychology, University of Hawaii, USA * Sexual Attraction: The Psychology of Allure provides an in-depth, comprehensive, and nuanced analysis of this distinct form of attraction. With thought-provoking insights on every page, James Giles answers questions about sexual attraction you didn't know you had. Highly recommended reading for those who want a smart, articulate, and engaging investigation of the diverse body of sexual attraction research. * Heidi Reeder, Associate Professor of Communication, Boise State University, USA * Sexual Attraction: The Psychology of Allure is a wonderful follow-up to his previous, The Nature of Sexual Desire. Employing an engaging mix of philosophical, psychological, and literary analysis, James Giles will make you think deeply about this rarely explored phenomenon. * Robert Scott Stewart, Professor of Philosophy, Cape Breton University, Canada * Ever wonder about sexual attraction and how it differs from other forms of attraction and sexual desire? Well, look no further. Sexual Attraction: The Psychology of Allure by James Giles takes the reader on a fascinating journey to understand the personal, yet complex and multifaceted nature and experience of sexual attraction. The book is educational, illuminating, and colored with vivid quotes from interviews, as well as numerous examples from literature, music, internet videos, poetry, comics, relevant research citations, and historical data. * Terri L. Orbuch, Professor of Sociology, Oakland University, USA * At a time when the internet and mixed-gender workplaces put us in daily contact with more people than any other generation in human history, we need to understand attraction far more than we do. Giles' book is a welcome step in that direction. Part psychology, part philosophy, and part anthropology, the book refers to a wide range of research and is a thought-provoking, enjoyable read. Many books discuss desire or arousal, but this book discusses both-and in the context of attraction, a terrific approach. * Marty Klein, Certified Sex Therapist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, USA * James Giles's Sexual Attraction: The Psychology of Allure makes a unique, interesting, and much-needed journey into blending an existing body of social scientific research with humanistic ways of knowing that includes experiential, non-empirical qualitative methods as well as original philosophic inquiry and excerpts from film, literature, and music. The resulting volume provides many good considerations for those who do empirical sexuality and relationship research as well as insights into ideas that would be difficult-if not impossible-to explore through traditional research methods. * Relationship Research News * Overall, this short book is an easy read that should be of interest to most sexologists. It should be accessible to a wide nonexpert audience. The author offers several intriguing hypotheses about the nature of sexual attraction. * PsycCRITIQUES *