A taste for the beautiful : the evolution of attraction
(Book)

Book Cover
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Published
Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2018].
Physical Description
x, 200 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 25 cm
Status
Gillette College Library - Main Collection
591.562 R989T 2018
1 available

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LocationCall NumberStatus
Gillette College Library - Main Collection591.562 R989T 2018On Shelf

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Published
Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2018].
Format
Book
Language
English
UPC
40028035123

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-185) and index.
Summary
From one of the world's leading authorities on animal behavior, the astonishing story of how the female brain drives the evolution of beauty in animals and humans.
Summary
"Darwin developed the theory of sexual selection to explain why the animal world abounds in stunning beauty, from the brilliant colors of butterflies and fishes to the songs of birds and frogs. He argued that animals have "a taste for the beautiful" that drives their potential mates to evolve features that make them more sexually attractive and reproductively successful. But if Darwin explained why sexual beauty evolved in animals, he struggled to understand how. In A Taste for the Beautiful, Michael Ryan, one of the world's leading authorities on animal behavior, tells the remarkable story of how he and other scientists have taken up where Darwin left off, transforming our understanding of sexual selection and, in the process, shedding new light on human behavior. Drawing on cutting-edge work in neuroscience and evolutionary biology, as well as his own important studies of the tiny túngara frog deep in the jungles of Panama, Ryan explores the key questions: Why do animals perceive certain traits as beautiful and others not? Do animals have an inherent sexual aesthetic and, if so, where is it rooted? Ryan argues that the answers to these questions lie in the brain--particularly of females, who act as biological puppeteers, spurring the development of beautiful traits in males. This theory of how sexual beauty evolves explains its astonishing diversity and provides new insights about the degree to which our own perception of beauty resembles that of other animals. Vividly written and filled with fascinating stories, A Taste for the Beautiful will change how you think about beauty and attraction."--Jacket flap.

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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

Ryan, M. J. 1. (2018). A taste for the beautiful: the evolution of attraction . Princeton University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Ryan, Michael J. 1953-. 2018. A Taste for the Beautiful: The Evolution of Attraction. Princeton University Press.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

Ryan, Michael J. 1953-. A Taste for the Beautiful: The Evolution of Attraction Princeton University Press, 2018.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

Ryan, Michael J. 1953-. A Taste for the Beautiful: The Evolution of Attraction Princeton University Press, 2018.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.