One of the more frequently occurring situations that arises when boy meets girl is that they both have very few options, and thus the inexperienced seducer ends up with a very stressful situation, in which he or she is confronted with a loss of control; whilst the seducee is left bemused by the seemingly bizarre behaviours of the person they have just met.
This is a negative feedback loop, in which the seducer feels stressed because he or she is in a situation that they feel is out of their control, yet at the same time, they cannot adequately salvage the situation because they are already feeling so stressed. Clearly this is a circumstance where more research is needed.
And as it happens, there is a substantial body of scientific knowledge concerning the effects of stress on humans, although obviously not in seduction situations. An interesting parallel, however, is the effect of exposure to heavy traffic, and the effect of exposure to loud noises and other irritants.
Research shows that a large increase in background noise at a constant, steady level is experienced as less intrusive as time passes; although prolonged exposure produces lasting elevations in blood pressure.1 If the noise is not only loud, but also intermittent, then people remain conscious of their heightened irritability even after an extended period of adaptation; and their symptoms of central nervous system distress become more pronounced.1
In a laboratory, subjects exposed to a loud, intermittent, and unpredictable noise experience not only showed physiological symptoms of stress but also behavioural symptoms. These subjects became less persistent in their attempts to cope with frustrating tasks, and suffered measurable impairments in performing tasks requiring care and attention.1
In another ingenious experiment, the Psychologist David Glass and his collaborators exposed two groups of subjects to a recording of loud, unpredictable noises. And, whereas subjects in one group had no control over the recording, subjects in the other group could stop the tape at any time simply by flipping a switch. These subjects were told, however, that the researchers would prefer that they not stop the tape, and indeed most of them honoured this preference. Following exposure to the noise, subjects with access to the control switch made almost 60 percent fewer errors than the other subjects on a proofreading task, and made more than four times as many attempts to solve a difficult puzzle.1
Similarly, commuting though heavy traffic is in many ways very stressful, and much more like exposure to loud, unpredictable noises than to constant background noise. Delays are difficult to predict, virtually impossible to control, and one never quite gets used to being cut up by other drivers who believe that their time is more valuable than anyone else’s. Thus, a large amount of scientific literature documents the many stress symptoms that result from protracted driving through heavy traffic.
One theme in this body of knowledge focuses on the experiences of Bus drivers, whose exposure to the stresses of heavy traffic is higher than that of most other road users, but who have also had greater opportunities to adapt to those stresses. Compared to workers in other occupations, a disproportionate share of the absenteeism experienced by Bus drivers stems from stress-related illnesses such as gastrointestinal problems, headaches, and anxiety.2 Many studies have found sharply elevated rates of hypertension among city Bus drivers relative to a variety of control groups, including, in one instance, Bus drivers themselves during their pre-employment physical examinations.3,4 And, additional studies have found elevations of stress hormones such as Adrenaline, Noradrenalin, and Cortisol in town Bus drivers.4 One study even found elevations of Adrenaline and Noradrenalin to be strongly positively correlated with the density of the traffic with which the Bus drivers had to contend.5 And, more than half of all urban Bus drivers retire prematurely with some form of medical disability.6
Your daily commute through heavy traffic is presumably less stressful than operating a bus all day in a busy town. And probably much less stressful than meeting an attractive member of the opposite sex somewhere. Yet, there is no question that the differences are one of degree rather than kind. Studies have shown that the demands of commuting through heavy traffic often result in emotional and behavioural deficits on arrival at home or at work.7 Compared to drivers who commute through low-density traffic, those who commute through heavy traffic are more likely to report feelings of annoyance.8 And at higher levels of commuting distance, time, speed, and months of commuting are significantly positively correlated with increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure.8
This prolonged experience of commuting stress also suppresses immune function and shortens longevity.9,8 Even spells in traffic as brief as fifteen minutes have been linked to significant elevations of blood glucose and cholesterol, and to declines in blood coagulation time (all factors that are positively associated with heart disease). Commuting by car is also linked positively with the incidence of various cancers, especially cancer of the lung, although this is probably because of higher exposure to exhaust fumes.10 Among people who commute to work, the incidence of these and other illnesses rises with the length of commute,10 and is significantly lower amongst those who commute by bus or rail,11 and lower still amongst non-commuters.12
In conclusion, there appears to be persistent and significant costs associated with long commutes through heavy traffic. And we can also be confident that Neurophysiologists would find higher levels of Cortisol, Norepinephrine, Adrenaline, Noradrenalin, and other stress hormones in a seducer who is in a situation that they feel they have no control over. Of course, nobody has done the experiment to discover whether poorly skilled seducers would report lower levels of life satisfaction than the rest of the population. But, because we know that drivers often report being consciously aware of the frustration and stress they experience during commuting, it is a plausible conjecture that subjective well-being, as conventionally measured, would be lower in those seducers. However, even if the negative effects of stress never broke through into conscious awareness, we would still have powerful reasons for wishing to escape them.
References:
- Glass, D.C., J. Singer & J. Pennebaker, ‘Behavioral and Psychological Effects of Uncontrollable Environmental Events’ (1977) in Perspectives on Environment and Behavior, ed. D. Stokols, New York: Plenum
- Long, L. & J. Perry, ‘Economic and Occupational Causes of Transit Operator Absenteeism: A Review of Research’ (1985) Transport Review 5:247-267
- Ragland, D.R., M. Winkleby, J. Schwalbe, B.L. Holman, L. Morse, L. Syme & J.M. Fisher, ‘Prevalence of Hypertension in Bus Drivers’ (1987) International Journal of Epidemiology, 16:208-214; Pikus, W.G. & W.A. Tarranikova, ‘The Frequency of Hypertensive Disease Among Drivers in Public Transportation’ (1975) Terapevischeskii Archives, 47:135-137
- Evans, G.W., M.N. Palsane & S. Carrère, ‘Type A Behaviour and Occupational Stress: A Cross-cultural Study of Blue-collar Workers” (1987) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52:1002-1007
- Evans, G.W. & S. Carrère, ‘Traffic Congestion, Perceived Control, and Psychophysiological Stress Among Urban Bus Drivers’ (1991) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 76:658-663
- Evans, G.W., ‘Working on the hot seat: Urban Bus Operators’ (1994) Accident Analysis and Prevention, 26:181-193
- Glass, D.C., & J. Singer, ‘Urban Stressors: Experiments on Noise and Social Stressors’ (1972) New York: Academic Press; Sherrod, D.R., ‘Crowding, Perceived Control, and Behavioral Aftereffects’ (1974) Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 4:171-186
- Stokols, D., R.W. Novaco, J. Stokols & J. Campbell, ‘Traffic congestion, Type A Behaviour, and Stress’ (1978) Journal of Applied Psychology, 63:467–480
- DeLongis A., S. Folkman, R.S. Lazarus, ‘The impact of Daily Stress on Health and Mood: Psychological and Social Resources as Mediators’ (1988) Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54:486-495
- Koslowsky, M., A.N. Kluger & M. Reich, ‘Commuting Stress‘ (1995) New York: Plenum
- Taylor, P.J. & S.J. Pocock, ‘Commuter Travel and Sickness Absence of London Office Workers’ (1972) British Journal of Preventive and Social Medicine, 26:165-172; Koslowsky, M. & M. Krausz, ‘On the Relationship Between Commuting, Stress Symptoms, and attitudinal Measures’ (1993) Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 29:485-492
- European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions, ‘The Journey from Home to the Workplace: The Impact on the Safety and Health of the Commuters/Workers’ (1984) Dublin: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions.
Posted by Jonathan as Biochemistry, Psychology at 11:22 PM EDT
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Alcoholic beverages have been used to stimulate the libido since ancient times, although it should be obvious that excessive use will seriously hamper any attempt at love-making. Ovid, in “Ars amatoria” notes that “A real intoxication is ugly, but to pretend being drunk can often be helpful, then any (unintentional) bad manner will be attributed to the wine you pretend to have consumed”.
A moderate quantity of alcohol will reduce anxiety and release inhibitions, especially for strongly inhibited persons, however the sedative effects will soon become overpowering. It is generally recommended that in excess of half a gram of pure alcohol per kilo bodyweight should be avoided by anyone wanting to retain full amorous capabilities. Thus, at a bodyweight of 75kg, this would correspond to about half a bottle of wine.
There might also be other physiological effects. A 1994 study published in the scientific journal Nature claimed that consuming alcohol raised the testosterone level of women (normally, women produce about a tenth as much testosterone as men). According to Dr. Weil “additional small amounts can dramatically increase the libido. For women who lack sexual interest and desire, the treatment can be life-changing.”
Absinthe: is mainly an alcoholic extract of wormwood (Arthemisia absinthium), a plant that is rich in toxic compounds, such as the essential oils thujon and thujol.
Absinthe was used extensively at the end of the nineteenth century, as an aphrodisiac by many Europeans, especially French artists and intellectuals, of which, a notable character behind this Bohemian absinthe culture was the French poet Paul Verlaine.
Thujon has been used on a moderate scale as a remedy against intestinal worms, but habitual use on a large scale can result in blindness, cramps and damage to the nervous system. Thus, Absinthe was prohibited in France on 16th March 1915, and is now banned in most European countries because of its toxicity and habit-forming properties.
Beer: One might expect that beer, being a nourishing drink with fairly low alcohol content would be a good aphrodisiac. However, the only notable instance seems to be stout, which, according to Michel Jackson’s Beer Companion is seen as an aphrodisiac in some countries.
One possible explanation might be that beer (like all alcoholic beverages) lowers the production of the hormone Vasopressin in the body. This hormone controls, amongst other things, the reabsorption of primary urine - less vasopressin results in less reabsorption - and thus in more frequent trips to the toilet, especially after large quantities of liquid have been consumed.
Liqueurs: Several liqueurs developed in old monasteries have been attributed aphrodisiac effects. These liqueurs include chartreuse (especially the green variety) and Benedictine (although why monks should be so interested in aphrodisiacal liqueurs is anyone’s guess).
In Guadalajara, Mexico, a liqueur is produced from the allegedly aphrodisiacal plant Turnera diffusa, under the name Crème de Damiana. This liqueur is supposed to increase libido and counteract impotence.
White port: is held to be a far more powerful aphrodisiac than could be explained by its alcohol contents alone, especially when consumed together with wild strawberries. In contrast, red port appears to act as any other ordinary alcoholic beverage.
Wine: Suitably spiced, wine can be a potent aphrodisiac. Red Burgundy mixed with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, vanilla and sugar is known as Hippocras aphrodisiac, and was recommended by the French author Rabelais in Gargantua and Pantagruel.
Aqua Mirabilis was used during the 17th century as a strengthening tonic and also as an aphrodisiac. It is prepared by letting finely ground cinnamon, galingale root, ginger, nutmeg, rosemary and thyme steep in claret for one week, and then straining the wine. The recommended dose is 1/4 bottle (180 ml) a day.
Aphrodisiacal Drugs
The search for drugs which could act as sexual stimulants is probably almost as old as the human sex drive. Originally, interest focussed on plant and animal preparations. Here are reviews of some pure chemicals, synthetic or isolated from plants:
Alkyl nitrites: Volatile alkyl-nitrites have been used during the past decades for “recreational purposes”, including intensify sexual experience. Alkyl nitrites are normally distributed in ampoules, which are opened and the vapours inhaled (”popping” and “snorting”). However, because of the route of administration it is extremely difficult to control the dosage, and consequently to ascertain whether dangerous quantities have been inhaled.
The first alkyl nitrite to be used in this way was amyl nitrite, originally made available as an antidote to Hydrogen Cyanide poisoning. When this became a prescription drug in the United States, various homologs and isomers began to appear on the market for “recreational purposes” as legal substitutes. Amongst the analogs were n-butyl nitrite, iso-butyl nitrite, iso-amyl nitrite, sec-butyl nitrite and n-propyl nitrite.
Their use has been associated with methemoglobinemia (blood haemoglobin is converted into a chemical which cannot transport oxygen) and haemolysis (destruction of platelets). It has even been suggested that there could be a link between the inhalation of alkyl nitrites and the development of Kaposi’s sarcoma, a disease normally associated with AIDS. Many references on the use of alkyl nitrites as aphrodisiacs are available - please consult these before even thinking about trying alkyl nitrites
Yohimbine: is the main active constituent of the bark of Yohimbe, Corynanthe Yohimbe (Rubiaceae), a tree growing in Nigeria and Cameroon. Yohimbe has long been used by the local population for its perceived high sexual potency. The same alkaloid also occurs in the South American tree White Quebracho, Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco (Apocynaceae).
Yohimbine has been used extensively in veterinary medicine, for example, in treatment of impotent breeding stallions. In both animal and man, it produces a complex pattern of responses, such as anti-diuresis and central excitation, including elevation of blood pressure and heart rate, increased motor activity and irritability. Sweating, nausea and vomiting are also common after parenteral administration in humans.
p-Chlorophenylalanine: High levels of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) are believed to lower or inhibit human sexual activity; thus, a chemical inhibiting serotonin production might be expected to have potential as an aphrodisiac. The amino acid p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) is a known serotonin inhibitor, and in 1969 it was shown by Tagliamonte and colleagues that PCPA has a sexual stimulating effect upon normally sluggish male rats. Out of 80 rats treated with PCPA and pargyline, 54 tried to mount at least 6 times during 12 hours.
However, it was pointed out by other researchers that the mounting frequency only referred to homosexual mountings. When PCPA was used in a heterosexual situation the copulation frequency of the treated male rats did not increase.
To this it was objected that the treated rats were known to be vigorous copulators, being able to achieve 6-8 ejaculations before satiation. Therefore, it might be difficult to raise this number, even by using a powerful aphrodisiac.
On the other hand, it was also suggested that PCPA works not by enhancing sexual motivation, but rather by altering the male’s ability to adequately distinguish appropriate sexual partners. However, rabbits injected with PCPA displayed a compulsive sexual behaviour that lasted up to 3 days (further details were not supplied).
Clomipramine: A paper in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry entitled “Unusual Side-Effects of Clomipramine Associated with Yawning” described four patients who, while taking the anti-depressant drug Anafranil (Clomipramine) reported side-effects of spontaneous orgasm, every time they yawned.
This was first exhibited by a female patient who had been depressed for three months, but under treatment “Complete symptom remission occurred within ten days”. She then asked how long she would be allowed to go on using the drug, as she had found that every time she yawned, she had an orgasm, and was now able to experience orgasm by deliberate yawning.
One male patient said that whilst he found the repeated climaxes “awkward and embarrassing”, he chose to continue the medication because of the therapeutic benefit he obtained. The awkwardness and embarrassment were overcome by continuously wearing a condom.
Around five percent of clomipramine users report this side effect, although for most people the drug inhibits the ability to reach orgasm. New Scientist magazine comments that patients have been comparing notes, and speculating on the unusual consequences. People who experience this side effect would presumably seek out the most boring person they could find at parties.
Anti-Parkinson’s drugs: A side effect of some anti-Parkinson drugs, including L-Dopa, is to increase the sexual interest mainly by restoring the balance to earlier (higher) levels.
Nitric oxide: Nitric oxide was discovered to be a transmitter of nerve impulses only a few years ago. It is now known to be a key substance in the process that leads to erections. However, since it is a gas, which is only required at a very specific location it has turned out to be extremely difficult to use it for amorous purposes.
Viagra: (Sildenafil Citrate), marketed by Pfizer, was originally tested as a heart medicine (but with poor results) however; the drug seemed to have potential as a male aphrodisiac. It was released in the U.S. on 27 March 1998, and within two months over one million prescriptions for it had been written.
Sildenafil Citrate inhibits cyclic GMP-specific phosphodiesterase, and thus by preventing the breakdown of GMP it promotes the availability of nitric oxide, a signalling substance that causes relaxation of smooth muscle in the penis and subsequent erection. In other words, the drug works by inhibiting an unhelpful enzyme, which could prevent erection when a man is subjected to sexual stimuli.
Taken one or two hours beforehand, it will usually stimulate an erection, if the right circumstances arise, but without giving rise to a potentially useless erection, as might be the case with direct drug injections into the penis.
In one study of 351 impotent men a success rate of 89% was achieved for those receiving the highest dose (50 milligrams). And, amongst clinical studies, the average success rate is around 70%. However, it should be emphasised that it is not sufficient just to take the pill to get an enduring erection; a combination with some kind of erotic stimulus is also required.
It is likely that Viagra could also work for women, and studies to test this theory are underway. Viagra increases blood flow, and so an increased blood flow through the clitoris should enhance its sensitivity, and thus help women to reach orgasm too.
One French restaurant serving a Viagra sauce to eager couples had to stop offering this dish. The restaurant, in the Hotel Renovation in Thonon-les-Bains served beef in a sauce of caramel, figs, spices and Viagra.
Posted by Jonathan as Biochemistry, Biology at 11:26 PM EDT
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The highly informative WebMD website points out that there are a number of scientific studies showing that sex can help with your weight, your brain, your blood pressure and a whole lot more besides.
Amongst the benefits of healthy loving:
1. Sex Relieves Stress
A big health benefit of sex is lower blood pressure and overall stress reduction, according to researchers from Scotland who reported their findings in the journal Biological Psychology. They studied 24 women and 22 men who kept records of their sexual activity. Then the researchers subjected them to stressful situations - such as speaking in public and doing verbal arithmetic - and noted their blood pressure response to stress.
Those who had intercourse had better responses to stress than those who engaged in other sexual behaviours or abstained.
Another study published in the same journal found that frequent intercourse was associated with lower diastolic blood pressure in cohabiting participants. Yet other research found a link between partner hugs and lower blood pressure in women.
2. Sex Boosts Immunity
Good sexual health may mean better physical health. Having sex once or twice a week has been linked with higher levels of an antibody called immunoglobulin A or IgA, which can protect you from getting colds and other infections. Scientists at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., took samples of saliva, which contain IgA, from 112 college students who reported the frequency of sex they had.
Those in the “frequent” group - once or twice a week - had higher levels of IgA than those in the other three groups - who reported being abstinent, having sex less than once a week, or having it very often, three or more times weekly.
3. Sex Burns Calories
Thirty minutes of sex burns 85 calories or more. It may not sound like much, but it adds up: 42 half-hour sessions will burn 3,570 calories, more than enough to lose a pound. Doubling up, you could drop that pound in 21 hour-long sessions.
“Sex is a great mode of exercise,” says Patti Britton, PhD, a Los Angeles sexologist and president of the American Association of Sexuality Educators and Therapists. It takes work, from both a physical and psychological perspective, to do it well, she says.
4. Sex Improves Cardiovascular Health
While some older folks may worry that the efforts expended during sex could cause a stroke, that’s not so, according to researchers from England. In a study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, scientists found frequency of sex was not associated with stroke in the 914 men they followed for 20 years.
And the heart health benefits of sex don’t end there. The researchers also found that having sex twice or more a week reduced the risk of fatal heart attack by half for the men, compared with those who had sex less than once a month.
5. Sex Boosts Self-Esteem
Boosting self-esteem was one of 237 reasons people have sex, collected by University of Texas researchers and published in the Archives of Sexual Behaviour.
That finding makes sense to Gina Ogden, PhD, a sex therapist and marriage and family therapist in Cambridge, Mass., although she finds that those who already have self-esteem say they sometimes have sex to feel even better. “One of the reasons people say they have sex is to feel good about themselves,” she tells WebMD. “Great sex begins with self-esteem, and it raises it. If the sex is loving, connected, and what you want, it raises it.”
6. Sex Improves Intimacy
Having sex and orgasms increases levels of the hormone Oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which helps us bond and build trust. Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh and the University of North Carolina evaluated 59 pre-menopausal women before and after warm contact with their husbands and partners ending with hugs. They found that the more contact, the higher the Oxytocin levels.
“Oxytocin allows us to feel the urge to nurture and to bond,” Britton says.
Higher Oxytocin has also been linked with a feeling of generosity. So if you’re feeling suddenly more generous toward your partner than usual, credit the love hormone.
7. Sex Reduces Pain
As the hormone Oxytocin surges, endorphins increase, and pain declines. So if your headache, arthritis pain, or PMS symptoms seem to improve after sex, you can thank those higher Oxytocin levels.
In a study published in the Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, 48 volunteers who inhaled Oxytocin vapour and then had their fingers pricked lowered their pain threshold by more than half.
8. Sex Reduces Prostate Cancer Risk
Frequent ejaculations, especially in 20-something men, may reduce the risk of prostate cancer later in life, Australian researchers reported in the British Journal of Urology International. When they followed men diagnosed with prostate cancer and those without, they found no association of prostate cancer with the number of sexual partners as the men reached their 30s, 40s, and 50s.
But they found men who had five or more ejaculations weekly while in their 20s reduced their risk of getting prostate cancer later by a third.
Another study, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that frequent ejaculations, 21 or more a month, were linked to lower prostate cancer risk in older men, as well, compared with less frequent ejaculations of four to seven monthly.
9. Sex Strengthens Pelvic Floor Muscles
For women, doing a few pelvic floor muscle exercises known as Kegels during sex offers a couple of benefits. You will enjoy more pleasure, and you’ll also strengthen the area and help to minimize the risk of incontinence later in life.
To do a basic Kegel exercise, tighten the muscles of your pelvic floor, as if you’re trying to stop the flow of urine. Count to three, then release.
10. Sex Helps You Sleep Better
The Oxytocin released during orgasm also promotes sleep, according to research.
And getting enough sleep has been linked with a host of other good things, such as maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure. Something to think about, especially if you’ve been wondering why your guy can be active one minute, and then snoring the next.
Posted by Jonathan as Biochemistry, Biology at 10:06 PM EST
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Elderly men with lower levels of free testosterone in their blood appear more likely to suffer depression than those with higher amounts of the sex hormone, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
Osvaldo P. Almeida, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.A.N.Z.C.P., of the University of Western Australia, Perth, and colleagues studied 3,987 male participants aged between 71 and 89 years old, between 2001 and 2004. The men were asked to report information about demographics and health history. They then underwent testing for depression and cognitive (thinking, learning and memory) difficulties.
Information about physical health conditions was also obtained from a short survey, and an Australian health database. The researchers also collected blood samples from the participants, and measured levels of total testosterone and free testosterone, which is not bound to proteins.
Of the almost 4,000 participants, 203 or 5.1 percent, met criteria for depression; these men had significantly lower total and free testosterone levels then men who were not depressed. After controlling for other factors — such as education level, body mass index and cognitive scores — men in the lowest quintile (20 percent) of free testosterone concentration had three times the odds of having depression, compared to men in the highest quintile.
The authors note:
The mechanism by which low hormone levels might affect depression risk has not been identified, but might involve changes in the levels of neurotransmitters or hormones in the brain.
Professor Almeida commented:
More research is needed to prove whether low testosterone causes depression or whether it’s only associated with it
Depression affects between 2 percent and 5 percent of the population at any given time, according to background information, and women are more likely to be depressed than men until they reach age 65, when sex differences almost disappear. Previously, several studies have suggested that sex hormones might be responsible for this phenomenon.
Men’s testosterone levels are usually about 300 to 1,000 nanograms per decilitre of blood, according to the U.S. National Institutes of Health.
In a separate study, researchers in Australia found that a quarter of men aged over 60 had testosterone levels of 294 nanograms or less, per decilitre of blood.
Posted by Jonathan as Biochemistry, Psychology at 10:43 PM EST
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The G-spot is named after Ernst Gräfenberg, a German gynaecologist who in 1950 proposed that stimulating a sensitive point on the front vaginal wall could provoke particularly intense orgasms in some women, with waves of pleasure spreading out across the whole body. Gräfenberg reported that these orgasms differed from normal orgasms caused by clitoral stimulation. And, in more recent times, finding the G-spot has since become a staple of many sex guides.
Scientists have debated the G-spots existence, and so far there has been scant evidence of its existence as doctors have been unable to pin down its exact location. Many women have even found it impossible to find; leading them to doubt either their own sexual skills, their partners sexual skills, or to wonder whether the whole idea of a vaginal pleasure point is just an urban legend. The main problem here seems to be that no-one has found any solid physiological evidence to support its existence, whereas the clitoris, for example, is fairly easy to locate, at least for most people.
Now, new research carried out by Dr Emmanuele Jannini at the University of L’Aquila, Italy, and published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, claims to have found the first anatomical evidence for the existence of the G-spot. His research could also explain why so many women have searched for their pleasure spot in vain, since Dr Jannini suggests that not all women have one. What’s more, the Doctor claims that it may be possible to develop a simple test which could tell you if it’s time to give up the hunt, or if your partner just needs to try harder.
In 2002, Dr Jannini’s team found biochemical markers related to heightened sexual function in tissue between the vagina and urethra (the patch where the G-spot is said to be located). They included PDES, an enzyme that processes nitric oxide, which is a chemical that boosts blood flow and triggers male erections.
However, the team was unable to link the presence of these markers to the ability to experience orgasms triggered by stimulation of the front vaginal wall, without any simultaneous stimulation of the clitoris.
So Jannini’s team took a different approach, and used vaginal ultrasound to scan the entire urethrovaginal space (the area of tissue in the space between the vagina and urethra (thought to house the G-spot)). The team scanned nine women who reported that they experienced vaginal orgasms and eleven who said they didn’t.
The results were that tissue in the urethrovaginal space was thicker in the first group of women. This means, says Jannini, that “women without any visible evidence of a G-spot cannot have a vaginal orgasm“. But, if women do not have one “they can still have a normal orgasm through stimulation of the clitoris,” he continued, “One clear finding is that each woman is different. This is one reason why women are so interesting.”
New Scientist magazine pointed out that other researchers welcomed the findings, but said it was unclear whether Dr Jannini’s team had identified a distinct G-spot structure or an internal part of the clitoris.
The urethrovaginal space is rich in blood vessels, glands, muscle fibres, nerves and (in a few women) a remnant of the embryological prostate called the Skene’s glands. Some researchers have suggested that the Skene’s glands are involved in triggering vaginal orgasms and thus enable a small number of women to ejaculate.
Tim Spector of St Thomas’ Hospital in London said:
The authors found a thicker vaginal wall near the urethra and hypothesise this may be related to the presence of the controversial G-spot. However, many other explanations are possible - such as the actual size of the clitoris, which, although not measured in this study - appears highly variable.
Other scientists challenge the notion that the G-spot is missing in women who don’t experience vaginal orgasms:
Beverly Whipple of Rutger’s University School of Nursing in Newark, New Jersey, whose team named the G-spot, back in 1981 said:
It is an intriguing study, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that women who don’t experience orgasm don’t have any tissue there, [...] the next step is to ask women to stimulate themselves and then repeat the ultrasounds, as the area is believed to swell in response to physical pressure. This might reveal that all women have G-spots.
Another possibility is that the women who experienced vaginal orgasms had learned to do so through practice, which has altered their anatomy, much like exercising a muscle makes it grow, says Leonore Tiefer, a psychiatrist at New York University School of Medicine. “The research would be much stronger if women without vaginal orgasm were taught how to have this experience and then repeated measurements were taken of the urethral-vaginal area,” she said. “Of course this would involve teaching their partners a great deal.” She would also have liked to see more extensive questioning of the women to fully understand their sexual practices.
Jannini accepts that there are limitations to his study. In particular, the small number of women he studied didn’t allow him to say what proportion of all women have a G-spot - although it would seem that a large number do not.
This tentative conclusion is supported by previous questionnaire-based studies such as The Hite Report, which found that 70 percent of women do not have orgasms through intercourse, but are able to experience orgasm easily by direct clitoral stimulation.
Jannini is now planning larger studies to confirm his findings, and measure how many women have a G-spot - if that is indeed what he has been measuring.
Posted by Jonathan as Biochemistry, Biology at 10:32 AM EST
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A study involving 361 males has found that spending several hours a day on a cell phone can lower the quality of a man’s sperm, according to preliminary research.
Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic (an infertility clinic) found a correlation between the patients’ cell phone use and their sperm quality. Men who used their cell phone a lot had lower sperm counts, and a greater percentage of abnormal sperm.
In general, the researchers found, sperm count and sperm quality tended to decline as daily cell phone hours increased. Men who reported that they used their phones for more than four hours each day had the lowest average sperm count and the fewest normal, viable sperm.
Lead researcher Dr. Ashok Agarwal said:
Our results show a strong association of cell phone use with decreased semen quality. However, they do not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
The findings, published in the journal Fertility and Sterility, add to questions about the potential health risks of cell phones and other wireless devices. Other studies had linked long-term cell phone use to a higher risk of brain tumours, although several other studies found no such connection.
Dr. Agarwal said:
We infer from our results that heavy cell phone use [...] is associated with a lower semen quality, but whether cell phones somehow directly affect men’s fertility is not clear.
Agarwal added that he and his colleagues have two other studies underway, aiming to shed light on the issue. In the first, they are exposing semen samples to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones to see what, if any, effects occur.
The second study is a follow-up to the current study, in which they will assess a larger group of men. Agarwal said that this study is more rigorously designed and will take into consideration other factors, such as lifestyle, habits and occupational exposures that could potentially affect sperm quality.
Posted by Jonathan as Biochemistry, Biology at 2:28 PM EST
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Two men looking to boost their sexual performance and grow bigger muscles ended up with advanced prostate cancer, after taking “herbal” supplements, American doctors reported recently.
The doctors said many supplements marketed as “safe” and “natural” could contain unknown and potentially dangerous ingredients; and pointed out that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has little authority to regulate them.
Dr. Claus Roehrborn, Chairman of Urology at the University of Texas Southwestern medical school, said in a statement:
Physicians need to ask their patients not only about the prescription drugs they may be taking, but - perhaps even more importantly - about the over-the-counter drugs and supplements, which may have a profound impact on certain health conditions”
Dr. Roehrborn’s team became concerned about what they call herbal/hormonal dietary supplements (HHDS), after two men developed aggressive and incurable prostate cancer within months of taking the same supplement.
They reported in the journal Clinical Cancer Research that they analyzed the product (which was not named for legal reasons), and found it contained two hormones — testosterone and estradiol. Then, when they tested it on tumour cells in the lab, they found that it fuelled the growth of prostate cancer cells much more potently than testosterone alone.
The researchers wrote:
We filed an adverse event report with the FDA, who issued a warning letter. The manufacturer responded by removing this HHDS product from the market.
Individuals use HHDS for self-improvement, failure or distrust of conventional medicine, and because they believe that these natural products are safe and drug-free.
The researchers searched for Websites promoting other such products, and found they promised “‘fountain of youth’ effects, maintenance of a ‘youthful’ heart, relief of stress, improvements in mood disturbances, stamina, energy, strength and virility.”
The patients, a 67-year-old white male and a 51-year-old black male, have both survived but have extensive Cancer that has spread throughout their bodies.
The researchers continued:
Unlike prescription and over-the-counter drugs, the law does not require nutritional supplements to undergo pre-market approval for safety and efficacy,
The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, 1994 (DSHEA) allows HHDS manufacturers to assume the sole responsibility for ensuring the effectiveness and safety of their products. Thus, the current Food Drug Administration regulatory system provides little oversight or assurance that HHDS will have predictable pharmacological effects or even that product labels provide accurate information to consumers.
Posted by Jonathan as Biochemistry, Biology at 3:27 PM EST
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We have previously noted that the media regularly portrays pernicious images of perfection to the public, suggesting that everyone should look perfect all the time; while it should be quite obvious to anyone who gives the matter more than a few seconds of thought that logically, everyone cannot be above average.
It’s therefore shocking, but by no means surprising, that the government’s expert advisers on illicit drugs recently cautioned raised a note of caution concerning the increasing use of anabolic steroids by boys as young as 12.
Professor David Nutt, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs’ technical committee said:
tens of thousands of people [were] using steroids to improve the results of raining regimes to make themselves look more muscular.
The committee also heard that Steroid users, rather than Heroin injectors, were now the main clients of needle exchanges.
Advisory Council chairman Professor Sir Michael Rawlins, said:
Those who use anabolic steroids were often oblivious of the risks, which included acne, breast enlargement, sterility, liver tumours and hepatitis. [anabolic steroids] can also make the testicles wither - which is probably not what the users want.
The latest figures showed that 200,000 people in Britain have tried anabolic steroids, with 42,000 claiming to have used them in the last year, and 20,000 in the previous month.
Lord Victor Adebowale, (chief executive of the drugs charity Turning Point) said:
elite athletes know what they are doing using steroids, but their increasing use by boys as young as 12 and 13 is extremely worrying. They do it because they want to be in boy bands and get girls.
Posted by Jonathan as Biochemistry, Sociology at 10:47 PM EST
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Research has suggested that testosterone is linked with aggression. Other studies have shown that when men have sex, their endocrine system’s release a cocktail of chemicals, including serotonin, norepinephrine, oxytocin, vasopressin, nitric oxide, and prolactin. All of which makes them feel extremely relaxed and happy; further, this mixture seems to act to counter the effects of testosterone.
It’s therefore my belief that in some instances, where males aren’t having any sex, they get increasingly aggressive, eventually ending up becoming violent and possibly even committing petty crimes; or at least generally making a nuisance of themselves, for the rest of society to sort out.
So, I suspect I may have touched a nerve with one of these gentlemen, who writes in a somewhat aggressive manner that “Seduction” is a bad thing because he feels that there is an implication of manipulation and deceit attached to the word, and therefore he proposes that “attraction” would be a more suitable alternative, the website should be renamed and etc. (the rest of his e-mail is an unqualified rant, unfortunately)
Normally, this type of missive goes straight to the trash, but my highly-strung new friend does make an attempt to backup part of his argument with evidence, so he has to be commended for that. He thus claims that the dictionary defines Seduction as:
The act of seducing; enticement to wrong doing; specifically, the offense of inducing a woman to consent to unlawful sexual intercourse, by enticements which overcome her scruples; the wrong or crime of persuading a woman to surrender her chastity.
Unfortunately for him, the Internet gives everybody access to the world’s largest source of information, and it’s therefore extremely easy to check references; whereupon it seems that this definition is his own fabrication, since the meaning doesn’t appear in the online version of the Oxford English Dictionary, and the rather handy Dictionary.com says:
se·duc·tion
–noun
- an act or instance of seducing, esp. sexually.
- the condition of being seduced.
- a means of seducing; enticement; temptation.
Maybe this fellow’s bizarre belief stems from the fact that he thinks Seduction is a “game” (I sincerely hope he doesn’t mean seducers should persuade girls to go “on the game“). Maybe he means this in the same sense as someone I once met who boasted that he was “Gaming the System”, which he explained as obtaining money he wasn’t properly entitled too, or perhaps he thinks that he is a “Player”? However, I would posit that in a game, one has a chance of losing a lot more than in a seduction. A knock-back from someone you are trying to seduce is not nearly as unpleasant as a broken leg from playing Rugby, losing all your money playing Poker, and certainly not in the same league as the consequences of losing a game of Russian roulette. Perhaps a Lottery would be a better analogy, because one would only tend to lose the entry fee; but then to suggest that Seduction is completely random completely defeats the point of trying to have a rich and varied sex life.
Back to the original point of this article, I would suggest that manipulation in seduction is a good thing. Clearly, it would be extremely unusual for any sane person to walk straight up to a stranger and honestly propose that they should have sex together; at least not without a certain amount of initial manipulation.
As an example, if I meet some attractive girls somewhere, they’re probably pretty much ho-hum about meeting yet another guy; possibly they’re even slightly disinterested. After all, a lot of guys are fools that have no respect for women; so why should they make the effort to be nice, especially when they probably have random guys wandering up to them on a semi-regular basis.
So, I need to manipulate them into seeing me in a more positive light, get them enjoying my company, and wanting more of it… Then I can work on getting to manipulate them in the bedroom, but that’s a whole different story.
On the other side of the coin, the same women probably want to meet a man that they can have fun with, enjoy some intelligent company, and know that he won’t spend all evening insulting them, trying to touch them inappropriately (and other dumb stuff that some guys try), since I would imagine that the same dim-witted guy, assuming he had sex at all, would then spend the next month bragging about it to all his mates, and ruining some poor girls reputation in the process.
So, in western society, there’s a taboo against girls walking up to guys they don’t know, at least 
not without an excellent reason. But women still need to attract quality men… How do they do this? Well, they’ll manipulate their appearances, using make-up, Wonder bras, nice clothes and hairdos etc., to make themselves look more attractive.
In summary, therefore, attraction is a passive process mostly used by women who aren’t prepared to approach men directly, whilst seduction is an active process. As a simpler example, someone might claim “I was attracted to the painting…” (a passive process) “…and the Salesperson seduced me into buying it, when they offered good credit terms / a discount / free framing” (an active process). This just doesn’t work the other way round.
So, for many men, myself included, unless we get extensive cosmetic surgery, lose weight, gain height, develop a six-pack, a sense of fashion and then go on to discover the fountain of youth; the chances of a woman being passively attracted and then instigating sex, are slight at best. Ergo, attractiveness is more of a bonus that you either have or you don’t, whereas seduction is a skill that can be made explicit and is therefore transferable from person to person.
As to deceit, that’s generally a bad thing, but then deceit was never mentioned in any of the definitions of seduction already listed. Although, I’ve given this a little thought, and it’s certainly possible that even deceit has a small use in seduction. For example, when I’ve been asked for my opinion, by a girl I’m going out with, as to whether she should change the dress she’s wearing for the one she’s holding; I’m savvy enough to know that the best answer is to tell her “keep the one you’re wearing on”. After all, she’s probably spent some considerable time deciding what to wear, and my knowledge of women’s fashion is on a par with my knowledge of Quantum theory. I’m sure she knows this too, and since I figure she’ll look good in either dress, I know that what she really wants is a quick confidence boost, and not a teary debate about dress styles with a guy that doesn’t really have much opinion either way.
Alternatively, many people hold strong views about inconsequential things. So, how many times have you, dear reader, been at the start of a relationship with someone that appeared to be a lovely person in almost all respects, except they support a different football team to you, perhaps they venerate some over-rated celebrity that you wouldn’t piss on if they were on fire, or quite possibly they are simply opposed to promiscuity, while you spend time reading websites like Seduction Labs.
In this situation, you can be honest (and I’ll admire your principles if you are), but let’s face it, it’s more than likely going to jam a spanner in the works of your seduction. You could of course skirt the issue and wind up looking rather shifty, or you could just be deceitful (the sin of omission is deceit too) over a trivial matter that will most likely be forgotten within a short time and probably never mentioned again, at least until your relationship is on a firmer footing, and more able to deal with such ripples.
So, finally, if we don’t manipulate, we’ll more than likely just end up with a bored seducee, a worthless phone number or simply asked to ‘Please go away’. Of course, in no way am I suggesting that one should lie all the time, just occasionally it’s best to stay quiet or bend the truth a little.
Chris Rock tells an amusing anecdote about how both men and women lie, but men tell small petty lies. According to Mr. Rock, a man might say “I’m going bowling”, not realising that the woman already knows that he’s lying, because he does it all the time. But the woman might say “It’s your baby!”
