Impulse : the science of sex and desire / Jon E. Grant, University of Chicago, Samuel R. Chamberlain, University of Cambridge.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Sex and desire — Development issues around sex — Healthy sex — Too little sex — Too much sex — Sex and physical health — Drinking, drugs, and sex — Relationship problems — Sex and digital technology — Diverse aspects of sex — Sex and pandemics.

"For most of us, sex is important. Some of our first close friendships are initiated when we discuss sex - adolescent boys and girls navigating puberty and sexual desires. We may spend countless hours fantasizing about and planning our first sexual experience. Dating for many becomes an important rite of passage. As adults, we look for partners who can provide a satisfying sexual experience. In fact, most people have their first sexual experience long before they fall in love or meet a long-term partner. Sex means different things to different people and within the same person, sex mean different things to us at different times in our lives and changes based on emotional development and life stages. Simply put, sex is complicated. Even in non-physical ways, sex seems to permeate our everyday lives. Movies and television series are more enticing if there is a sexual theme. Jokes and conversations are riddled with double entendres. Magazine covers, news, and advertisements sell themselves or products using half-naked people by alluding to fantasies of sex or in many cases graphically telling us about people's sex lives. Sex is obviously more than just a physical act. It also incorporates psychological, social, political, and even spiritual dimensions"-- Provided by publisher