Jesse will talk us through the smorgasbord of sexual behaviours that make humans unique and together the duo will untangle whether sexuality and shame will always be used to demonise and divide. In this session, Jesse will unpack the complex dynamics at play behind repulsion and attraction, question what is considered ‘normal behaviour’ and explore whether there is a little bit of kink in all of us.

With a decade of tackling taboos with humour, warmth, meticulous research and a judgement-free inquisitiveness in books including Perv: The Sexual Deviant In All Of Us, Why Is The Penis Shaped Like That?, The Belief Instinct and, most recently, Suicidal: Why We Kill Ourselves, Bering isn’t afraid of awkward questions and awkwarder answers. There will be plenty of time left to answer your burning questions.

Jesse has won numerous science communication awards and is known for his warmth, wit and empathy. He will be in conversation with Jenny Valentish (author of Woman of Substances and Everything Harder than Everyone Else). Be warned: things are about to get positively filthy, funny and thoughtfully transgressive.

Jesse Bering appears at Vivid Ideas as part of our Global Storytellers series, where you’ll hear from international thought-leaders and creatives who are tackling taboos, asking difficult questions and creating zeitgeist-defining work.