The Blowfish Blog

[Caught in the Net] Studies Show

From psychology to sociology to neuroscience, there’s scarcely a branch of science relating to the human condition that doesn’t occasionally delve into the mysteries of sex. Nothing’s hotter than scientific rigor and large diverse sample populations, after all, so here are some sexy results:

Scientific American had an article on “The Orgasmic Mind: The Neurological Roots of Sexual Pleasure,” revealing the incredibly complex neurological changes that happen in the course of sexual desire and fulfillment. It turns out achieving orgasm requires “a release of inhibitions engineered by shutdown of the brain’s center of vigilance in both sexes and a widespread neural power failure in females.” (Neural power failure in females would explain some of the hot girls I see dating total assholes, I guess.) It’s an interesting article, drawing on a variety of brain imaging studies, experimental hormone therapy data, and good old fashioned biology to explore all the weird things that happen in our bodies just so we can get off.

Speaking of hormones, a study of 300 male students revealed that they have the same hormonal reaction to pretty much every woman they encounter, whether they find them attractive or not! When placed in a room with a strange woman, even one they considered ugly, the testosterone level in these guys went up by about 8%. The guys then reacted unconsciously by squaring their shoulders, standing up straighter, flaring their nostrils, and telling lies about how awesome their jobs are. (Seriously!) Their testosterone levels didn’t change when they were left in a room with a man. You see, ladies — we can’t help it.

On to bisexuality! It turns out bisexuality is not a transitional phase among women, but is a distinct sexual orientation. Bisexual women tracked over ten years displayed a “stable pattern of attraction to both sexes.” (I never doubted you!) So next time you hear someone say their bisexual college roommate (or teenage daughter) is just “experimenting” or “in a phase” or “easing into lesbianism,” point ‘em at the link above. The study also refutes the notion that bisexuals are unwilling or unable to commit to long-term monogamous relationships, with many of the women surveyed being involved in stable exclusive relationships. Though given the incredibly high incidence of cheating in most heterosexual “long-term monogamous relationships” one wonders how much this particular population differs . . . but that’s a study for another day.

Share This

This entry was posted on Wednesday, 23 July 2008 at 6:49 pm and is filed under Caught in the Net. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.