Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children (NF 2008)

Hooked: New Science on How Casual Sex is Affecting Our Children (NF 2008) - Joe S. McIlhaney, Jr., MD and Freda McKissic Bush, MD (Hardcover, $17.99, Northfield Publishing, ISBN 978-0-8024-5060-9) - Available in stores and online.


Our culture tends to think of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) as the major risks involved with casual sex. After all, we constantly hear the stories, read the statistics and see the results of such a lifestyle. Yet now, breakthroughs in neuroscience have uncovered new information based on studies of brain function and sexual activity. This information could help us gain a better understanding of exactly what happens in the brain during sex.

Even if you’ve taken measures to practice “safe sex,” there’s one area you can’t protect: the brain. Doctors McIlhaney and McKissic give scientific evidence showing that when we engage in sex (or even prolonged close physical contact), chemicals are released in our brains, “telling” us that we’re forming not only a strong physical bond, but an extremely powerful emotional one.

When we break up with someone with whom we’ve had such strong physical and emotional connections (even briefly), those chemical bonds are severed, resulting in painful emotions. It’s like our brains have been short-circuited. Add to this already painful situation the fact that that our brains are not fully molded until we’re in our twenties, and you’ve got a situation that can lead to emotional devastation.

Hooked relies heavily on science, but the science is presented mostly in layman’s terms with a minimum of technical jargon. (Although anyone interested in learning more about the scientific aspects of the book can consult the plethora of sources in the Notes section.) The authors never specifically mention Christianity or faith (although I have seen the book in Christian bookstores), yet frequently touch on questions of morality. As far as I can tell, the authors are simply two scientists concerned with shedding new light on a topic that is both fascinating and crucial.

Hooked is a relatively short book (143 pages of text) and fairly easy to read, in spite of some brief scientific passages. Highly recommended.