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Sex, Drugs, and Rock 'n' Roll: The Science of Hedonism and the Hedonism of Science
How can wordless collections of sounds send shivers down our spines and tickle ancient parts of our brains we share with reptiles? How did a chemist's quest to create a drug to ease the pain of childbirth result in the creation of LSD? Why do goats partake in oral sex, and how can a horse (or even a table) make us weak in the knees? And how on earth could the revered 'father of anatomy' not know where the clitoris was?
From tortoiseshell condoms to superstar athletes on hallucinogens, these burning questions are explored and dissected, mixed with insights from some of the world's bravest, cleverest and downright weirdest scientist experimenting on the edge - and themselves. It's a sharp shocker, an eye opener, asking the big questions about what it means to be human, about consciousness and happiness. It'll pull you in and gross out.
Exuberantly curious and shamelessly exuberant, Guerilla Science's Zoe Cormier reinvents popular science for a new generation by breaking all the rules. Let's rock.
From tortoiseshell condoms to superstar athletes on hallucinogens, these burning questions are explored and dissected, mixed with insights from some of the world's bravest, cleverest and downright weirdest scientist experimenting on the edge - and themselves. It's a sharp shocker, an eye opener, asking the big questions about what it means to be human, about consciousness and happiness. It'll pull you in and gross out.
Exuberantly curious and shamelessly exuberant, Guerilla Science's Zoe Cormier reinvents popular science for a new generation by breaking all the rules. Let's rock.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 7, 2014
40 people are currently reading
611 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
April 28, 2015
I got this probably around the end of March/beginning of April. I sat in B&N reading it, and by the time I got to duck genitals, I was hooked. Of COURSE, I want to read about sex, drugs, and rock and roll. I myself am a bit of a hedonist.
Honestly, I sped through this book. It was such a good time, and, for the most part, the science is explained clearly. There are so many entertaining and ridiculous facts, I wish I'd kept a notebook with me to keep track of them all.
My only complaint was that, toward the end of each section, I feel as though the author were rushing a bit. The writing seemed to leave certain explanations unfinished. Or maybe that was me, because I wanted more. The prose gets a little lax here and there, especially toward the end of each section, as though Cormier is dying to get to the next juicy bit.
But on the whole, a thorough delight. Engaging, educational, and I wish my science classes had been half this fun in school.
Honestly, I sped through this book. It was such a good time, and, for the most part, the science is explained clearly. There are so many entertaining and ridiculous facts, I wish I'd kept a notebook with me to keep track of them all.
My only complaint was that, toward the end of each section, I feel as though the author were rushing a bit. The writing seemed to leave certain explanations unfinished. Or maybe that was me, because I wanted more. The prose gets a little lax here and there, especially toward the end of each section, as though Cormier is dying to get to the next juicy bit.
But on the whole, a thorough delight. Engaging, educational, and I wish my science classes had been half this fun in school.
January 14, 2020
3'75
La ciencia nos ha enseñado la importancia de nuestros impulsos hedonistas, pero, además, nunca habría avanzado tanto de no haber sido por ellos.
Si algo nos ha enseñado el estudio de la evolución es que el complejo cerebro (¡hay más conexciones neuronales posibles en nuestros cerebros que átomos en todo el universo!), que nos hace tan especiales a los seres humanos, también los vuelve vulnerables a enfermedades que convierten en cuestionable el sentido de seguir con vida. Nuestro cerebro configura nuestro mundo y, a veces, también es nuestro enemigo.
Escuchar música puede disminuir los niveles de cortisol, la hormona del estrés tóxico que debilita, destruye y origina que tantas personas comiencen a tomar medicamentos nocivos.
El cortisol es un veneno y la música puede ayudar a paliar sus efectos.
La ciencia nos ha enseñado la importancia de nuestros impulsos hedonistas, pero, además, nunca habría avanzado tanto de no haber sido por ellos.
Si algo nos ha enseñado el estudio de la evolución es que el complejo cerebro (¡hay más conexciones neuronales posibles en nuestros cerebros que átomos en todo el universo!), que nos hace tan especiales a los seres humanos, también los vuelve vulnerables a enfermedades que convierten en cuestionable el sentido de seguir con vida. Nuestro cerebro configura nuestro mundo y, a veces, también es nuestro enemigo.
Escuchar música puede disminuir los niveles de cortisol, la hormona del estrés tóxico que debilita, destruye y origina que tantas personas comiencen a tomar medicamentos nocivos.
El cortisol es un veneno y la música puede ayudar a paliar sus efectos.
April 28, 2016
Che cosa fa dell'uomo un uomo? La matematica, la fisica, il parlare, la scrittura, queste sono le prime risposte che vengono in mente a ciascuno di noi. E invece no, dice Zoe Cormier, quello che fa dell'uomo un uomo sono il sesso, la droga e il rock 'n' roll. E questo paradossale assunto dimostra in te densi capitoli di storia della scienza, scritti con estrema precisione, ma con linguaggio semplice e divertente, che ci guidano attraverso la scoperta di come funziona il nostro cervello in relazione ai tre pilastri di cui sopra. E soprattutto dimostra, nel meraviglioso capitolo finale, come la musica sia l'attività più straordinaria dell'uomo, quella capace di far scattare nel cervello tutti i meccanismi, compresi quelli che hanno a che fare con il sesso e con i neurotrasmettitori del piacere, capace anche di far vibrare all'unisono i neuroni di chi la pratica insieme.
Insomma, fate l'amore e non la guerra, calatevi un acido, ma non fate la guerra, ma soprattutto, suonate, cantate e ballate insieme, e vi passerà la voglia di fare la guerra.
Ringrazio Da Capo Press e Netgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.
What makes a man a man? Mathematics, physics, speaking, writing, these are the first answers that come to mind for each of us. But no, says Zoe Cormier, what makes a man a man are sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. And this paradoxical assumption she proves in three dense chapters of history of science, written with extreme precision, but with simple and entertaining language, that guide us through the discovery of how our brain works in relation to the three pillars mentioned above. And above all she demonstrates, in the wonderful final chapter, that music is the most extraordinary human activity, one capable of triggering all the mechanisms in the brain, including those that have to do with sex and with neurotransmitters of pleasure, also able to vibrate in unison neurons of those who practice together.
In short, make love not war, drop down an acid, but not war, but most of all, play, sing and dance together, and the desire to go to war will pass .
Thank Da Capo Press and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Insomma, fate l'amore e non la guerra, calatevi un acido, ma non fate la guerra, ma soprattutto, suonate, cantate e ballate insieme, e vi passerà la voglia di fare la guerra.
Ringrazio Da Capo Press e Netgalley per avermi fornito una copia gratuita in cambio di una recensione onesta.
What makes a man a man? Mathematics, physics, speaking, writing, these are the first answers that come to mind for each of us. But no, says Zoe Cormier, what makes a man a man are sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. And this paradoxical assumption she proves in three dense chapters of history of science, written with extreme precision, but with simple and entertaining language, that guide us through the discovery of how our brain works in relation to the three pillars mentioned above. And above all she demonstrates, in the wonderful final chapter, that music is the most extraordinary human activity, one capable of triggering all the mechanisms in the brain, including those that have to do with sex and with neurotransmitters of pleasure, also able to vibrate in unison neurons of those who practice together.
In short, make love not war, drop down an acid, but not war, but most of all, play, sing and dance together, and the desire to go to war will pass .
Thank Da Capo Press and Netgalley for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 9, 2021
What amalgamates the unholy trio of sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll?
All are primeval features of our biology, each produces surges of luscious neurotransmitters, and every one has been frowned upon or restricted by religious and political authorities.
Even in the past few years Islamic zealots have tried to outlaw music in Mali, a nation that has one of the world’s richest and most colourful musical lineages.
Sex, drugs and music are three infinitely dissimilar things –
1) Sex, though sometimes a source of misery as well as joy, is essential for the creation of life.
2) Drugs, conversely, are without a doubt pointless for the understanding of a content and vigorous life and the source of concentrated anguish and physical worsening universally.
3) Music, a world apart from sex and drug use, is almost certainly the strangest thing we humans do. Of our hedonistic triad, it is the one that is most uniquely human, at the same time totally unwarranted and yet one of our species’ greatest attainments. It is both redundant and stunning.
What, then, binds these three very different things collectively?
Over the past four centuries scientists have revealed that our sexual, narcotic and musical characteristics are biologically unsurpassed.
We are one of the few mammals with a plump penis lacking a bony support, which means that the mind – multifaceted beast it is – is fundamental to our ability to copulate.
On the other side of the gender coin, the clitoris seems to be the lone organ designed for pleasure only. It contains more nerve endings than any other corner in the body. It is at the same time supplementary, inessential and stunning.
Its presence in our species is remarkable.
Sex, drugs and music have all served as divining rods that led us to appreciate what makes our species the way it is.
The pages of this book are filled with incalculable and lively examples of what scientists have discovered: why sex, drugs and music are significant.
Truth is stranger than fiction, and biology is art.
That sex, drugs and music are vital constituents of human nature is almost certainly instinctive to most. But here’s the less obvious truth: were it not for our allegedly ‘base’ impulses, we never would have achieved many ground-breaking scientific discoveries.
Hedonism has been integral to intellectual progress.
This is a story about scientists and their craft: a story of rebellion. There is redemption in disobedience.
Fabulous book … scrupulously pleasant.
All are primeval features of our biology, each produces surges of luscious neurotransmitters, and every one has been frowned upon or restricted by religious and political authorities.
Even in the past few years Islamic zealots have tried to outlaw music in Mali, a nation that has one of the world’s richest and most colourful musical lineages.
Sex, drugs and music are three infinitely dissimilar things –
1) Sex, though sometimes a source of misery as well as joy, is essential for the creation of life.
2) Drugs, conversely, are without a doubt pointless for the understanding of a content and vigorous life and the source of concentrated anguish and physical worsening universally.
3) Music, a world apart from sex and drug use, is almost certainly the strangest thing we humans do. Of our hedonistic triad, it is the one that is most uniquely human, at the same time totally unwarranted and yet one of our species’ greatest attainments. It is both redundant and stunning.
What, then, binds these three very different things collectively?
Over the past four centuries scientists have revealed that our sexual, narcotic and musical characteristics are biologically unsurpassed.
We are one of the few mammals with a plump penis lacking a bony support, which means that the mind – multifaceted beast it is – is fundamental to our ability to copulate.
On the other side of the gender coin, the clitoris seems to be the lone organ designed for pleasure only. It contains more nerve endings than any other corner in the body. It is at the same time supplementary, inessential and stunning.
Its presence in our species is remarkable.
Sex, drugs and music have all served as divining rods that led us to appreciate what makes our species the way it is.
The pages of this book are filled with incalculable and lively examples of what scientists have discovered: why sex, drugs and music are significant.
Truth is stranger than fiction, and biology is art.
That sex, drugs and music are vital constituents of human nature is almost certainly instinctive to most. But here’s the less obvious truth: were it not for our allegedly ‘base’ impulses, we never would have achieved many ground-breaking scientific discoveries.
Hedonism has been integral to intellectual progress.
This is a story about scientists and their craft: a story of rebellion. There is redemption in disobedience.
Fabulous book … scrupulously pleasant.
August 12, 2015
I almost wanted to think this book would be on par with 'A Short History of Nearly Everything' with it's histories of science and the personalities behind them.
It's a great book, with a LOT of cool, and innovative information about all 3 topics: the effects and history of Sex, Drugs, and Music on humans and even animals.
Unfortunately, the comprehension is diluted with the scientific jargon. I'm not a big fan of books that mention the latin names of parts of the brain (ie. left ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex), or long chemical formulas. I personally enjoy a simple read about science, and this wasn't it (keep in mind, 'Thinking Fast and Slow' wasn't an easy read either).
The content is great, nonetheless, and there are tonnes of powerful snippets, and the flow is great. The author is also philosophical about the effects and histories of sex, drugs, and music, which allow you to think outside the box.
Nonetheless, this is a great book about the sex, and the drugs, and the music, but minus 1 point for it's complex vocabulary.
"One underappreciated aspect of the scientific process: science is not an inexorable march towards 'the truth'. Ideas and the evidence gathered to support them are formed by people, who live in the world, have their own biases, and thus ideas are always dependent to some degree on what scientists have personally experienced. Scientific evidence is far more influenced by our emotions than empirical idealists would have us believe."
It's a great book, with a LOT of cool, and innovative information about all 3 topics: the effects and history of Sex, Drugs, and Music on humans and even animals.
Unfortunately, the comprehension is diluted with the scientific jargon. I'm not a big fan of books that mention the latin names of parts of the brain (ie. left ventro-lateral prefrontal cortex), or long chemical formulas. I personally enjoy a simple read about science, and this wasn't it (keep in mind, 'Thinking Fast and Slow' wasn't an easy read either).
The content is great, nonetheless, and there are tonnes of powerful snippets, and the flow is great. The author is also philosophical about the effects and histories of sex, drugs, and music, which allow you to think outside the box.
Nonetheless, this is a great book about the sex, and the drugs, and the music, but minus 1 point for it's complex vocabulary.
"One underappreciated aspect of the scientific process: science is not an inexorable march towards 'the truth'. Ideas and the evidence gathered to support them are formed by people, who live in the world, have their own biases, and thus ideas are always dependent to some degree on what scientists have personally experienced. Scientific evidence is far more influenced by our emotions than empirical idealists would have us believe."
April 8, 2015
This book is hilarious. I thought it would be about the 1960s, but it's actually a scientific investigation into these three areas. The drugs part has plenty of '60s--the most amazing thing to me is that researchers are just starting to find brain benefits from LSD, after Timothy Leary and other crazed gurus of the '60s made it an outlaw drug. Nixon called Leary "the most dangerous man in America." Leary set research back several decades, and just now they are finding brain benefits from LSD, magic mushrooms and other forbidden substances.
This book is full of amazing little facts and stories--such as the Beatles helping to fund research on MRIs when they made so much money for EMI that the company could afford to fund scientific research. It's a totally absorbing and surprising book. I had no idea I would like it, but it was great, well-told, very funny, and thoroughly researched.
This book is full of amazing little facts and stories--such as the Beatles helping to fund research on MRIs when they made so much money for EMI that the company could afford to fund scientific research. It's a totally absorbing and surprising book. I had no idea I would like it, but it was great, well-told, very funny, and thoroughly researched.
December 9, 2014
I really enjoyed reading this. It's informative, intelligent and interesting. It even has jokes.
There's a brief and brilliant explanation of what is meant by epigenetics that was like having someone push a fast forward button on science knowledge. I thought I was about to get lost, but the author said: "No, look at it this way ... great, you're still with us."
The author clearly has a genuine passion for science and she does a great job of asking, then suggesting answers to, the question of what makes us unique.
A very enjoyable read.
There's a brief and brilliant explanation of what is meant by epigenetics that was like having someone push a fast forward button on science knowledge. I thought I was about to get lost, but the author said: "No, look at it this way ... great, you're still with us."
The author clearly has a genuine passion for science and she does a great job of asking, then suggesting answers to, the question of what makes us unique.
A very enjoyable read.
January 28, 2016
Clever, sexy, and scientifically fascinating. It's been a long time since I opened my psychology textbooks, but Cormier makes me want to go back and take those classes all over again. Some sections in here outshine others - rock and roll is kind of dull, sadly, and the book ends on this section; the sex and drug portions, on the other hand, sing. (I've taken the psychology of sex as a university class, and there were even some facts in this book that I hadn't learned before.) Love this. Grab it for a read if you like rogue science.
July 7, 2016
I really, really, really tried to like this book. As in, I kept picking it up every other day to see if I could change my mind about it. Unfortunately it never really got my attention, although the title would have led me to believe otherwise. Something about the writing seemed too forced, in my opinion. Couldn't finish it.
February 11, 2019
un libro que ayuda a sumergirnos en el mundo del placer, por los menos el que se consigue a través de la música, sexo y drogas, procura ser un libro fuera de prejuicios, lo cual lo hace mas interesante. es una lastima que no haya suficiente investigación sobre la música, siendo esta un mundo fascinante para proporcionar placer. en todo caso un libro recomendado.
June 25, 2015
I really enjoyed reading this book on the science behind sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. I highly recommend it. It's accessible, easy to understand and fun to read. There's a lot of really interesting facts hidden in this book. Read it! You will not regret it.
December 10, 2014
thank you to perseus book group and netgalley.
this is a awesome book. everyone should read it and u will be amazed. cool as hell!
this is a awesome book. everyone should read it and u will be amazed. cool as hell!
January 17, 2015
Awesome! The title describes the book perfectly (although "Fun & Crazy Science" could have been equally suitable). Lots of things learned, and gained a new appreciation of the the world we live in.
February 4, 2015
Brilliant, loved the sexy and music ( skipped the drugs) thanks
February 26, 2015
An interesting examination of three of the most important things in the development of civilization.
May 27, 2015
pop science - interesting and very accessible and approachable. rather a whistlestop tour through loads of different subjects but a good place to start. quite a lot of typos in the copy I had though!
August 27, 2024
I love the idea of "guerrilla science" and making real facts interesting and relevant to casual readers. There were so many interesting facts and insights.
There were other books waiting for me on my shelf, many that would likely be more entertaining, but this one kept me reading.
Through sex we can explore the complex dance between mind and body, and discover strange new truths about our very strange species. In other words, it is in the animalistic part of ourselves that we discover some of the most startling ideas about what it means to be human.
There were other books waiting for me on my shelf, many that would likely be more entertaining, but this one kept me reading.
Perhaps we label our ‘hedonistic’ impulses as selfish and sinful because they are so powerful, and we are simply scared of our tendency to lose ourselves – and our minds – in their pursuit. But rather than rejecting these pursuits as primitive, animalistic or degenerate, perhaps we might do better by gaining a deeper understanding of our deepest desires.
January 28, 2020
Worthy of the guerilla scientist label.
If you ever wanted to understand why there’s so much power in the phrase Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll, this is your book.
Jam packed with more factoids and insights than you could possibly ingest on a Saturday night, the author shares a remarkable understanding of some of the most exciting parts of the human experience.
Occasionally, it got overwhelming with nifty nuggets and the story itself wavered, but it was ultimately worth the read.
I’m thrilled that it was written by a fellow Canadian!
If you ever wanted to understand why there’s so much power in the phrase Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll, this is your book.
Jam packed with more factoids and insights than you could possibly ingest on a Saturday night, the author shares a remarkable understanding of some of the most exciting parts of the human experience.
Occasionally, it got overwhelming with nifty nuggets and the story itself wavered, but it was ultimately worth the read.
I’m thrilled that it was written by a fellow Canadian!
January 14, 2022
I was reading this mostly for the rock n roll and thought I might skim the other parts if it was too dull but this was much more readable than I had expected. I learnt a lot in many aspects and it was engaging like a pop science book should be, if that's not a putdown. The only downside was it was slightly repetitive and a little confusing structurally in each section. It didn't have a very clearcut presentation of each theme, but perhaps that made it more readable. There was also one BAD typo.
January 17, 2022
Got this to do research for a novel. Set as popular science but quite penetrating if impulsive at times. If you like anything with science as a word in the subtitle and are not one of those drudging neuroscience people but a full-bodied mortal like me, you can keep the score of how well you accommodated the idea before all that AIDS came your way and re-live some of your memories.
It's not a manual or a how-to book but a researched broad sweep of the domain of pleasure as it was meant to be before all the cognitive fairies took over.
It's not a manual or a how-to book but a researched broad sweep of the domain of pleasure as it was meant to be before all the cognitive fairies took over.
March 4, 2023
Fascinating account of why humans enjoy sex, take stimulants (some of which are actually depressants) and like music. Unsurprisingly it is because we are made that way, all prudes kindly note. Mind you, I am glad I am not a mallard, sex being painful for both partners...
March 22, 2019
Excelente acercamiento a la ciencia sin dejar de lado las preguntas filosóficas que nos hacen más humanos.
February 8, 2020
I read the book but i have no money to buy
February 26, 2021
Me encantó, muy mi estilo.
January 6, 2022
I love hedonism and I love this book. For fans of weird facts and awesome information.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews