Why Good Sex Matters: Understanding the Neuroscience of Pleasure for a Smarter, Happier, and More Purpose-Filled Life

"Essential reading for anyone who is feeling burnt out, joyless, anxious, or depressed to reclaim the pleasure you deserve." Ian Kerner, PhD, LMFT, author of The NY Times bestseller, She Comes First

"In this astute debut, neuroscientist and therapist Wise analyzes the connection between mental health and sexual satisfaction and offers tips to improve one's sex life. Those looking for a more fulfilling sex life will benefit from this smoothly written look at how a person's mental state can elevate or sabotage their sexual experience." Kirkus Review

In Why Good Sex Matters, Wise not only reveals the fundamental problem in how we think about sex and pleasure but also how we arrived at this problematic relationship to begin with. This fascinating book helps us reclaim our innate capacity for joy, fun, exuberance, curiosity, and humor, while showing how reaching our sexual potential makes us smarter, happier, and more productive people. Ultimately, it reveals how a new understanding of sex can lead to a more expansive experience of pleasure in all aspects of our lives.

What you'll learn:

• Why the ability to experience pleasure is not a luxury but a necessity for overall well-being.
• How the brain's emotional and reward systems shape sexual desire, pleasure, and satisfaction.
• Why modern life creates a "pleasure crisis" and how this leads to anxiety, depression, and anhedonia.
• How good sex can boost mood, sharpen thinking, and support overall mental and physical well-being.
• Practical "good sex tools" to reduce stress, increase connection, and reclaim joy in and out of the bedroom.
• How changing your relationship to sex can open the door to more pleasure, playfulness, and fulfillment in every area of life.

"A relatable, no-holds-barred look at what's wrong with our data and sexual culture and why we don't have to settle." Ashton Applewhite, author of the NY Times bestseller, This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

"Lively, enriching, and eye-opening. Why Good Sex Matters will be the book all of your friends will be talking about." Kayt Sukel, author of This is Your Brain on Sex: The Science Behind the Search for Love

"A rewarding text steeped in laboratory analysis and thought-provoking, motivating patient-based conclusions. Featuring a harmonious blend of clinical research and relatable instruction, the book will appeal to sexuality specialists and lay readers seeking guidance on matters of achieving pleasure". Publishers Weekly