As a former student of the social sciences, I am made uncomfortable by “just-so stories” of evolutionary causality. Nevertheless, it would be naive to dismiss them outright simply because they make one uncomfortable.
This particular article intrigues me because it offers a potential explanation for the female orgasm that does not appear to be derogatory or particularly damaging (as often you can tell more about the researcher who develops these theories than you can about what the theories purport to explain). It’s still important to realize the limitations of the theories, but nevertheless, this quote caught my eye, and is certainly preferable to the formerly-lauded “up suck” theory:
Maybe, [female orgasm] is designed to be more than a little hard to get, adaptive precisely because it can’t be too readily summoned, so that when it arrives, it means something.
The theory being that in couples (in this particular case, male-female couples, though I don’t think it need be deliberately exclusive), the experience of orgasm on the part of the female is a means of telling her that she is with a suitable partner who takes his/her time during sex and is unworried about rivals interrupting them (or, in non-caveman speak, other distractions or concerns). Interesting examples of bears and macaques are given to illustrate the point.
Whether you agree or not, however, go ahead and read the summary here, and if you’re feeling saucy, you can download the whole chapter. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
