This Video Explains Why Humans Aren't Sexually Exclusive By Nature

We all have closets we need to come out of.

by kate hakala

For the most part, our society and family structures are held up by the main belief that humans are destined to pair off in sexually exclusive partnerships. One nice lady finds one fetching man, they bone, and then they live happily ever after while raising their babies. Perhaps you've heard of Christopher Ryan, the co-author of the controversial Sex at Dawn, whose personal mission is to challenge our view of sexual monogamy. In a TED talk released yesterday, Ryan tours us through how our prehistoric origins have impacted modern sexuality. He rejects the standard narrative of our sexual evolution – that historically men have leased out food and shelter in exchange for women's sexual fidelity. In a world where about 40 percent of women are now the primary breadwinners in their homes, that outdated model no longer applies to our contemporary sex lives.

Ryan believes that sexuality has always primarily been a bonding experience and only a means of procreation secondarily. Believing otherwise has lead us to a "huge amount of unnecessary suffering." He hopes this new evidence can help lead to a greater understanding of alternative sexual practices, like homosexuality, polyamory, promiscuity, and bisexuality, that we've been thrusting shame upon for centuries. "We all have closets we need to come out of," Ryan concludes. And besides revelatory views of human sexuality, the video also introduces us to my new favorite piece of cocktail trivia: those loud fake orgasm sounds Meg Ryan made in When Harry Met Sally are scientifically classified as female copulatory vocalizations. You're welcome.

Image via Veer.