The Sexual Brain

The Sexual Brain

Cover of the first edition
Author	Simon LeVay
Cover artist	Jean Wilcox
Country	United States
Language	English
Subject	Human brain, human sexuality
Published	1993 (MIT Press)
Media type	Print (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages	168
ISBN	978-0585002996

The Sexual Brain is a 1993 book by the neuroscientist Simon LeVay, in which the author discusses brain mechanisms involved in sexual behavior and feelings, and related topics such as sexual orientation.^[1] The book received positive reviews, praising it as a well-written work on science.

Summary

LeVay writes that his aim is to focus "on the brain mechanisms that are responsible for sexual behavior and feelings"; he discusses sexual orientation among other topics such as the evolutionary basis of sex, sexual development, the organization and development of the brain, the neural mechanisms associated with sexual intercourse, gender differences, and gender identity. LeVay expresses skepticism about the work of Sigmund Freud, writing that while he once accepted the Freudian view that "a young child's relations with his or her parents play a decisive role" in the development of sexual orientation, he rejected it after he came to know large numbers of gay men and lesbian women. LeVay writes that he doubts that there is anything scientific about Freud's ideas.^[2]

He describes the functions of the hypothalamus, which plays a key role in, "sex, feeding, drinking, cardiovascular performance, control of body temperature, stress, emotional responses, growth, and many other functions".^[3] He claims, on the basis of post-mortem studies of gay men who died of AIDS, to have located a region of the brain that differs in gay and straight men.^[4] LeVay notes that his INAH 3 study was his only publication on sex to that date, and that most of his previous research had been on the visual areas of the cerebral cortex.^[5] LeVay compares homosexuality to the disease sickle cell anemia, arguing that it may have persisted through a similar genetic mechanism.^[6]

Discussing sexual intercourse, LeVay describes the reflexes that constitute the act of coitus in humans, and notes that orgasm triggers the massive release of an opiate-like hormone, oxytocin, from the pituitary gland.^[7]

Reception

Mainstream media

The Sexual Brain received reviews from the journalist Peter Gorner in the Chicago Tribune,^[8] Kenneth McLeish in The Independent,^[9] Marian Annett in the Times Higher Education Supplement,^[10] the psychiatrist Avodah K. Offit in The Los Angeles Times,^[11] the critic Michael Warner in The Village Voice,^[12] the psychologist Richard Gregory in The Times Literary Supplement,^[13] and Richard Horton in The New York Review of Books.^[14] It also received a review in Publishers Weekly,^[15] and two reviews in New Statesman and Society, one from Peter Tallack,^[16] and the other from David Fernbach.^[17]

Gorner, McLeish, Offit, and Gregory's reviews were positive. Gorner called the book "Elegantly, even wittily, written" and credited LeVay with merging "evolutionary theory, endocrinology, molecular genetics and cognitive psychology into a synthesis that is brilliant and entertaining."^[8] McLeish praised LeVay for his criticism of Freud, calling it "splendidly rude", and for outlining the "current state of knowledge and research on the neurobiology of sexuality" in a "lucid, friendly and comprehensible" style. However, McLeish also wrote that LeVay's "arguments for and about homosexuality become a touch obsessive."^[9] Offit called the book a "slim and elegant volume" and described it as "engaging and professional--a work of stunning scientific scholarship enhanced by gracious style and modesty." However, Offit noted that LeVay was not "able to prove the biological basis of homosexuality." He also noted that LeVay's findings on INAH 3 could "could set us back as a society" by suggesting that homosexuality is abnormal.^[11] Gregory wrote that the book "is very carefully written, with clear logical threads" and "the statement of a first-rate scientist on issues of personal and social importance".^[13]

Gay media

The Sexual Brain was reviewed by the physician Lawrence D. Mass in The Advocate.^[18]

Scientific and academic journals

The Sexual Brain received a review from Katherine Livingston in Science,^[19] a positive review from Robert Friar in the Journal of Sex Research,^[20] a mixed review from the biologist Anne Fausto-Sterling in BioScience,^[21] a review from the psychologist Leonore Tiefer in Psychology of Women Quarterly,^[22] and a review from Michael J. Baum in Archives of Sexual Behavior.^[23] Friar credited LeVay with "superb writing skills" and "comprehensive knowledge of neurobiology", and called his book "concise, thoughtful, informative" and "interesting". However, Friar criticized LeVay for giving insufficient attention to lesbianism, for the lack of illustrations in his book, and for using references sparingly.^[20]

Fausto-Sterling called the book "engagingly and clearly written, potentially appropriate for classroom use." However, she also described LeVay's views on gender differences as being part of a "standard litany", and found that LeVay's accounts of reproductive physiology and the brain became "progressively weaker" as he moved further away from the familiar territory of neurobiology. Fausto-Sterling considered LeVay's account of "the embryonic development of gonads and genitalia" an example of this weakness, describing it as "extremely unsophisticated", and accusing LeVay of making inaccurate claims. She criticized LeVay for repeating the widespread belief "that female development is passive and preprogrammed ... and male development active", and for failing to cite critiques of that viewpoint. She gave LeVay credit for bringing "a wider range of evidence to bear in examining the interactions among hormones, the brain, and behavior" and citing less well-known work on this topic, and praised "LeVay's courage in declaring his own gay identity", and called his treatment of the relevance of biology to homosexuality "appropriately cautious".^[21]

Evaluations in books

The biologist Steven Rose criticized the publicity that surrounded the publication of LeVay's book, arguing that LeVay over-stated the importance of his findings, behavior which Rose considered similar to that of other researchers such as Dean Hamer.^[4] Bruce Thornton questioned the value of LeVay's work, writing that while LeVay asserted that the future would bring progress in understanding the development of sexuality, this begs "the question of just how much good this knowledge will bring us when we are storm-tossed on the sea of eros."^[24] The psychiatrist and medical historian Vernon Rosario criticized LeVay for his, "biological-determinist as well as reductionist inclinations".^[25] The philosopher Edward Stein, writing in The Mismeasure of Desire (1999), criticized LeVay for failing to discuss social constructionism despite its relevance to his topic.^[26] The anthropologist Melvin Konner wrote that LeVay's book is an "excellent brief introduction to the biology of gender" and "makes a graceful, excellent starting point" for understanding the neuroscience of sexual arousal and associated behaviors.^[27] Louis A. Berman wrote that LeVay erroneously minimizes the role of experience in becoming an effective male partner in heterosexual intercourse.^[28]

See also

• Biology and sexual orientation
• Environment and sexual orientation

References

Bibliography

Books

Journals

Online articles