Review: Bonk

Bonk is Mary Roach's book about the science of sex. It should be a great topic, with lots of fun discoveries, but in reality what we learn is that there's nearly no funding for research on sex (blame puritanism, as well as, nobody in government wants newspaper headlines like: "government funds porn film"). Now you would expect that maybe some of the more open governments in Europe would venture into this territory, but you would be wrong.

As a result, there's actually not much content in this book. About the only thing I learned was:

Stop wearing cologne. Women don’t find it attractive. If you don’t believe me, here is a quote from a press release from the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago: “Men’s colognes actually reduced vaginal blood flow.” Foundation director Al Hirsch hooked women up to a vaginal photoplethysmograph and had them wear surgical masks scented with ten different aromas or combinations of aromas. (To be sure the women weren’t just getting aroused by dressing up in surgical masks, Hirsch put unscented masks onto a control group.) In addition to the smell of cologne, the women were turned off by the scent of cherry and of “charcoal barbeque meat.” At the top of the women’s turn-on list was, mysteriously, a mixture of cucumber and Good ’n’ Plenty candy. It was said to increase vaginal blood flow by 13 percent. (pg. 292)

Hmph! Hardly worth reading an entire book for. Not recommended.