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The Intimate Animal

How We Evolved to Love and What it Means for Our Relationships Now

Brought to you by Penguin.

Why do we love who we love? Why do we stay in unfulfilling relationships, or stray from rewarding ones? Why do some couples crash and burn while others stay madly in love?


In The Intimate Animal, Dr Justin Garcia - one of the world’s leading experts on the science of love and sex – reveals that the answer to these questions lies in our evolution. We are biologically wired to connect with each other, yet our inner intimate animal is often at odds with the way we live now.


Dr Garcia explains the multiplicity of human sexual and romantic behaviour using cutting-edge research from his team of researchers at the world-leading Kinsey Institute, including:


- Why we have evolved to live and die for love

- Why searching for ‘the one’ is futile

- Why we are wired for 'social monogamy’ but not necessarily ‘sexual monogamy’

- Why some people are more likely to cheat


With practical tips on love and lust – the two biological systems often in painful conflict – The Intimate Animal is the essential, research-backed guide for anyone who wants to forge deeper, more intimate connections in these disconnected times.


'Garcia brings us back to the animal inside to remind us that even when connection, love, and desire feel elusive, it’s exactly what we’re wired for' Esther Perel, bestselling author of Mating in Captivity


'I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS BOOK! A real page turner' John Gottman, bestselling author of Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work


© Dr Justin Garcia 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

As technology fundamentally shifts how we experience intimacy, Garcia brings us back to the animal inside to remind us that even when connection, love, and desire feel elusive, it’s exactly what we’re wired for.

Esther Perel, psychotherapist and New York TImes bestselling author of Mating in Captivity

About Justin Garcia

Dr. Justin R. Garcia is an evolutionary biologist and sex researcher. He is Executive Director & Senior Scientist at the Kinsey Institute. He is also the Scientific Advisor to Match Group and Match.com, where he provides expertise to the company’s annual Singles in America study. His research has been featured in outlets like The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, TIME, Cosmopolitan and Vanity Fair.
Details
  • Imprint: Penguin
  • ISBN: 9780241992883
  • Price: £14.00
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