Must-see morning clip: Daniel Bergner explains what women want on “Colbert”

Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:18:00 +0000

Last night, "What Do Women Want?" author Daniel Bergner appeared on "The Colbert Report" to dispel one of the greatest modern myths of human sexuality: That women are less promiscuous than men. "Science is trying now to sort of pull back that societal veil," said Bergner. "When it comes to sex, monogamy may be much more of a problem for women than for men."

"Isn't that theory -- that women are better suited to monogamy than men -- struck you as a little too convenient and comforting for men?" Bergner asked a skeptical Colbert. "Science is telling us something very different."

The truth about female desire: It’s base, animalistic and ravenous

Sun, 02 Jun 2013 00:30:00 +0000

There is a conspiracy theory at the heart of this book. Even to the most casual observer of human history, it isn’t news that women’s sexuality has been feared, suppressed and lied about. But "What Do Women Want?: Adventures in the Science of Female Desire" by journalist Daniel Bergner uses groundbreaking sex research to show the ways in which our supposedly enlightened society still has female sexuality backward -- completely, utterly, profoundly.

In accessible and entertaining prose, "What Do Women Want?" details everything from individual women's fantasies to the search for a "female Viagra." More important, though, it represents a complete paradigm shift. The book, which grew from a much-discussed New York Times Magazine cover story in 2009, reveals how gender stereotypes have shaped scientific research and blinded researchers to evidence of female lust and sexual initiation throughout the animal kingdom, including among humans. It reveals how society's repression of female sexuality has reshaped women's desires and sex lives.

Salon.com > Daniel Bergner

Must-see morning clip: Daniel Bergner explains what women want on “Colbert”

The truth about female desire: It’s base, animalistic and ravenous