The Joy of Sweat
The Strange Science of Perspiration
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Narrated by:
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Sophie Amoss
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By:
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Sarah Everts
About this listen
An Outside Magazine 2021 Science Book Pick
One of Smithsonian's 10 Best Science Books of 2021
A taboo-busting romp through the shame, stink, and strange science of sweating.
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 you worry about Big Brother tracking the hundreds of molecules that leak out in your sweat - not just the stinky ones or alleged pheromones - but the ones that reveal secrets about your health and vices?
Everts’ entertaining investigation takes listeners 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 multibillion-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.
©2021 Sarah Everts (P)2021 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"An entertaining and illuminating guide to the necessity and virtues of perspiration…Everts is a crisp and lively writer." (Jennifer Szalai, New York Times)
"Everts has charm and enthusiasm, writes breezily and, along the way, effectively debunks a number of enduring myths.... [F]un, entertaining and full of interesting facts. (Simon Humphreys, The Mail on Sunday)
"A fascinating account of an involuntary bodily function that turns out to be as unique as a fingerprint." (Irina Dumitrescu, Times Literary Supplement (UK))
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What won't we try in our quest for perfect health, beauty, and the fountain of youth? Well, just imagine a time when doctors prescribed morphine for crying infants. When liquefied gold was touted as immortality in a glass. And when strychnine - yes, that strychnine, the one used in rat poison - was dosed like Viagra. Looking back with fascination, horror, and not a little dash of dark, knowing humor, Quackery recounts the lively, at times unbelievable, history of medical misfires and malpractices.
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Computer-generated Narrator. Dated Humour.
- By Nemo on 12-28-18
By: Lydia Kang, and others
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A Brief History of Vice
- How Bad Behavior Built Civilization
- By: Robert Evans
- Narrated by: Tristan Morris
- Length: 7 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Guns, germs, and steel might have transformed us from hunter-gatherers into modern man, but booze, sex, trash talk, and tripping built our civilization. Cracked editor Robert Evans brings his signature dogged research and lively insight to uncover the many and magnificent ways vice has influenced history, from the prostitute-turned-empress who scored a major victory for women's rights to the beer that helped create - and destroy - South America's first empire.
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Funny and somewhat informative
- By Neuron on 08-20-16
By: Robert Evans
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The Sawbones Book
- The Horrifying, Hilarious Road to Modern Medicine
- By: Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy
- Narrated by: Justin McElroy, Dr. Sydnee McElroy
- Length: 6 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Wondering whether eating powdered mummies might be just the thing to cure your ills? Tempted by those vintage ads suggesting you wear radioactive underpants for virility? Ever considered drilling a hole in your head to deal with those pesky headaches? Probably not. But for thousands of years, people have done things like this - and things that make radioactive underpants seem downright sensible! In their hit podcast, Sawbones, Sydnee and Justin McElroy breakdown the weird and wonderful way we got to modern healthcare. And some of the terrifying detours along the way.
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Close but no cigar . . .
- By Amanda Buffkin on 12-22-18
By: Justin McElroy, and others
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Grunt
- The Curious Science of Humans at War
- By: Mary Roach
- Narrated by: Abby Elvidge
- Length: 8 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Grunt tackles the science behind some of a soldier's most challenging adversaries - panic, exhaustion, heat, noise - and introduces us to the scientists who seek to conquer them. Mary Roach dodges hostile fire with the U.S. Marine Corps Paintball Team as part of a study on hearing loss and survivability in combat. She visits the fashion design studio of U.S. Army Natick Labs and learns why a zipper is a problem for a sniper.
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I Usually Love Mary Roach, But--
- By Gillian on 12-07-16
By: Mary Roach
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Mycophilia
- Revelations From the Weird World of Mushrooms
- By: Eugenia Bone
- Narrated by: Aimee Jolson
- Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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In Mycophilia, accomplished food writer and cookbook author Eugenia Bone examines the role of fungi as exotic delicacy, curative, poison, and hallucinogen, and ultimately discovers that a greater understanding of fungi is key to facing many challenges of the 21st century.
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Absolutely awful, insufferable, racist author
- By Rs 🦇 on 11-25-19
By: Eugenia Bone
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Breath
- The New Science of a Lost Art
- By: James Nestor
- Narrated by: James Nestor
- Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of São Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices.
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Does NOT coincide with Book text
- By FamAzz on 07-13-20
By: James Nestor
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Caffeinated
- How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us
- By: Murray Carpenter
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The most popular drug in America is a white powder. No, not that powder. This is caffeine in its most essential state. And Caffeinated reveals the little-known truth about this addictive, largely unregulated drug found in coffee, energy drinks, teas, colas, chocolate, and even pain relievers. Drawing on the latest research, Caffeinated brings us the inside perspective at the additive that Salt Sugar Fat overlooked.
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Caffeine in all its myriad presentations
- By Bonny on 04-12-14
By: Murray Carpenter
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Farmacology
- Total Health from the Ground Up
- By: Daphne Miller MD
- Narrated by: Sarah Mollo-Christensen
- Length: 8 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
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Can urban farms reduce neighborhood crime? These may not sound like typical questions for a family physician to consider, but in Farmacology, Daphne Miller, MD, ventures out of her medical office and travels to seven innovative family farms around the country on a quest to discover the hidden connections between how we care for our bodies and how we grow our food. Miller also seeks out the perspectives of noted biomedical scientists and artfully weaves in their research, along with stories from her own practice. Farmacology offers a profound new approach to healing.
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Crystals and all - great book
- By Topherwayne on 02-22-20
By: Daphne Miller MD
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Biomimicry
- Innovation Inspired by Nature
- By: Janine M. Benyus
- Narrated by: Callie Beaulieu
- Length: 14 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Biomimicry is rapidly transforming life on earth. Biomimics study nature's most successful ideas over the past 3.5 million years, and adapt them for human use. The results are revolutionizing how materials are invented and how we compute, heal ourselves, repair the environment, and feed the world. Janine Benyus takes listeners into the lab and in the field with maverick thinkers as they: discover miracle drugs by watching what chimps eat when they're sick; learn how to create by watching spiders weave fibers; and many more examples.
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Dated but good
- By stephen taylor on 09-05-21
By: Janine M. Benyus
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This Is Your Brain on Parasites
- How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society
- By: Kathleen McAuliffe
- Narrated by: Nicol Zanzarella
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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A riveting investigation of the myriad ways that parasites control how other creatures - including humans - think, feel, and act. These tiny organisms can live only inside another animal, and, as McAuliffe reveals, they have many evolutionary motives for manipulating their host's behavior. Far more often than appreciated, these puppeteers orchestrate the interplay between predator and prey.
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Entertaining but questionable studies
- By mdkoci on 01-02-17
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How to Smoke Pot (Properly)
- A Highbrow Guide to Getting High
- By: David Bienenstock
- Narrated by: Graham Halstead
- Length: 7 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Once literally demonized as "the Devil's lettuce" and linked to all manner of deviant behavior by the establishment's shameless antimarijuana propaganda campaigns, Cannabis sativa has lately been enjoying a long-overdue Renaissance. So now that the squares at long last seem ready to rethink pot's place in polite society, how, exactly, can members of this vibrant, innovative, life-affirming culture proudly and properly emerge from the underground - without forgetting our roots or losing our cool?
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Great
- By Alejandro on 04-25-16
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What Makes Olga Run?
- The Mystery of the 90-Something Track Star and What She Can Teach Us about Living Longer, Happier Lives
- By: Bruce Grierson
- Narrated by: Sean Pratt
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In What Makes Olga Run? Bruce Grierson explores what the wild success of a 94-year-old track star can tell us about how our bodies and minds age. Olga Kotelko is not your average 94-year-old. She not only looks and acts like a much younger woman, she holds over 23 world records in track and field, 17 in her current 90 to 95 category. Convinced that this remarkable woman could help unlock many of the mysteries of aging, Grierson set out to uncover what it is that's driving Olga.
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I can't stop talking about this book
- By David Shear on 05-27-14
By: Bruce Grierson
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Napoleon's Buttons
- 17 Molecules That Changed History
- By: Penny Le Couteur, Jay Burreson
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Napoleon's Buttons is the fascinating account of 17 groups of molecules that have greatly influenced the course of history. These molecules provided the impetus for early exploration, and made possible the voyages of discovery that ensued. The molecules resulted in grand feats of engineering and spurred advances in medicine and law; they determined what we now eat, drink, and wear. A change as small as the position of an atom can lead to enormous alterations in the properties of a substance.
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Wish one of the authors would have read this book
- By A.J. on 03-09-12
By: Penny Le Couteur, and others
What listeners say about The Joy of Sweat
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Jody
- 07-14-23
Good foundation and facts but strange in parts
Overall the book was interesting. I would have loved a bit more science of sweat itself but the history about saunas, odors and cultures made up for that lack.
One area that weaved its way in was several references to transgender. It was odd. An example was the make up of sweat from a transgender woman. Since a transgender woman is a biological male the sweat will more accurately allign with sweat of men, not of women. That is biology, which is science. And for a book that is science based it was odd that the author was trying to manipulate the biological science of genders. It was several times in the book and seemed out of place.
The narration was good, not great, but it was a hard topic to narrate.
Overall it's a 6 or 7 out of 10. Worth the time but you may want to wait until goes on sale to purchase.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Tom
- 05-23-22
For those who like fact heavy books
I like science, I like investing reporting, therefore, I like this book. The narrator was a little dry and slow paced, but not so bad as to be intolerable, just noticeable.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-12-23
Enjoyable!
Fun and accessible book to listen to. The reader is excellent and the content was interesting. This is my first book on the subject and I found it very entertaining!
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- K. Bachelor
- 05-02-22
Quirky topic, but engaging
I bought the book after I heard the author's interview on NPR's THINK.
The book was an interesting diversion from my usual reading experience, covering a topic I never really thought about.
I learned about German sauna theater as well as cultural differences in sauna practices in European countries.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-07-22
Not great
A potentially interesting topic but told in a lowest common denominator way. Wish there could be more science and objective information. The author relies heavww storylines which illustrate each idea are not particularly interesting
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- Jaroslav Mottl
- 09-15-21
Perfect theme, story and narration
Nothing I can add to the headline. If you are interested in the topic, go for it.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Tayelor H.
- 07-02-22
Perfect for me.
I'm new to audio books. My wife has been trying to get me interested in them for awhile now, and I finally cracked. If you have a curious mind, and are fascinated by the human body, then I'd say give this one a try.
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Darn interesting
Narration is clear and interesting.
Listening to this informs of us many important, useful, fascinating facts about sweat.
Highly recommended.
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- Christopher Latkowski
- 01-06-22
Interesting and virtually singular review on the subject of perspiration, but lacking
The author should be commended for undertaking the singular work on the subject of perspiration. However, she makes some broad sweeping generalizations on subjects of health and biology. Oftentimes resorting to storytelling tropes then broad-minded understanding of the human evolutionary biology.
She also makes some reductive observations on medical history such as classical views of Galen as “wrong.”
Interesting way to tackle a subject
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4 people found this helpful
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- G JONES
- 07-26-21
Five Stars and Two Thumbs Up!…
In the NYT book review, THE JOY OF SWEAT was noted as “an entertaining and illuminating guide to the necessity and virtues of perspiration” and the author, Sarah Everts, as a “crisp and lively writer.” I’d have to agree with that. The book is a delightful, somewhat encyclopedic adventure… filled throughout with more scientific and unexpected facts than you can imagine complimented by an engaging and thoughtful narrative (with more than a few dashes of humour as the story progresses). The narration in the Audible audiobook version (done by Sophie Amoss) is truly outstanding… probably the best narration I’ve ever heard (and I’ve listened to hundreds of audiobooks over the last twenty years). All in all, I’d say this one is Five Stars plus Two Thumbs Up!
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1 person found this helpful