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The Joy of Sweat: The Strange Science of Perspiration
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52/99
Critics
40/99
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Scholars
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Rating
66/99
Volume
30/99
Rating
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About This Book
Sweating may be one of our weirdest biological functions, but it's also one of our most vital and least understood. In The Joy of Sweat, Sarah Everts delves into its role in the body—and in human history. Why is sweat salty? Why do we sweat when stressed? Why do some people produce colorful sweat? And should we worry about Big Brother tracking the hundreds of molecules that leak out in our sweat—not just the stinky ones or alleged pheromones—but the ones that reveal secrets about our health and vices? Everts's entertaining investigation takes readers around the world—from Moscow, where she participates in a dating event in which people sniff sweat in search of love, to New Jersey, where companies hire trained armpit sniffers to assess the efficacy of their anti-sweat products. In Finland, Everts explores the delights of the legendary smoke sauna and the purported health benefits of good sweat, while in the Netherlands she slips into the sauna theater scene, replete with costumes, special effects, and towel dancing. Along the way, Everts traces humanity's long quest to control sweat, culminating in the multi-billion-dollar industry for deodorants and antiperspirants. And she shows that while sweating can be annoying, our sophisticated temperature control strategy is one of humanity's most powerful biological traits. Deeply researched and written with great zest, The Joy of Sweat is a fresh take on a gross but engrossing fact of human life.
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Reviews
"Speaking with experts from disciplines such as forensics, chemistry, genetics and even fragrances, Everts takes readers on an entertaining journey into the world of perspiration, including the science behind it and the benefits of a good sweat ..."
"She asserts that society needs to stop 'stigmatizing sweat.' Perspiration is cooler than you'd ever imagine."
"Engaging popular science that will spark the interest of anyone curious about this unique bodily function."
"For obvious reasons, this is a summertime book, and Everts keeps it light, even if her subject has some unavoidably serious implications ..."
"Throughout, Everts mixes facts with interviews and encounters with sweat-related activities across the world ..."
"Everts, a professor of journalism at Carleton University, argues in her fascinating debut that 'sweat may be sticky, stinky, and gross,' but it's one of humans' most crucial and least understood bodily functions ..."
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