SEXUAL
AROUSAL AND RESPONSE
sexual
arousal and response
hormones
the brain
the senses
aphrodisiacs & anaphrodisiacs
sexual response
aging
differences between the sexes
testosterone
is linked to male sexual desire (libido)
castration/orchidectomy
leads to decreased sexual interest and
activity
antiandrogens reduce sexual interest and activity (M&F)
example: medroxyprogesterone acetate
(MPA, Depo-Provera)
hypogonadism
a state of testosterone deficiency results
from certain endocrine diseases
linked to decreased sexual interest
may be normalized with testosterone
replacement therapy
testosterone
is linked to female sexual desire (libido)
role of estrogens in female sexual motivation and functioning remains unclear
in females there is evidence of a clear causal relationship between
levels of circulating testosterone
and sexual desire, genital sensitivity, and
frequency of sexual activity
male adrenal
glands testicles
female adrenal
glands ovaries
[pictures of structures inside a male
and female body that produce testosterone]
male total
testosterone 300 – 1200
ng/dl
free
testosterone 1.0
– 5.0 ng/dl
female total
testosterone 20 – 50 ng/dl
free
testosterone 0.1
– 0.5 ng/dl
the essential amount (“critical mass”)
of testosterone necessary for adequate functioning
varies from person to person within both
sexes
signs
of testosterone deficiency
decrease
desire
sensitivity
– genitals and nipples
arousability
energy
levels / depressed mood
bone
mineral density
body
hair
muscle
mass & strength
increase
fat
mass
testosterone-replacement
therapy
testosterone supplements (for men or
women)
orally (swallowing)
sublingually
(under-the-tongue tablets)
injection
implantation of a
pellet
transdermal skin patch
oxytocin – “cuddle hormone”
promotes a feeling of connection,
bonding
released when we hug
spouses or children
released when mother
nurses infant
released at orgasm
treating autistic people with oxytocin sometimes
helps alleviate symptoms
treating female animals with oxytocin
makes them act maternal
the prairie vole mates for life
asocial promiscuous meadow vole being
converted to living monogamous
by
insertion of V1a receptor gene
[pictures of voles]
oxytocin or vasopressin -> dopamine ->
pleasure
insert gene for expressing more
receptors
more dopamine -> more pleasure
[pictures of brain with hormones and
receptors inside]
the
brain and sexual arousal
strictly mental events (such as
fantasies) are the product of the cerebral
cortex (the thin outer layer of the brain)
[picture of the human brain]
the brain and sexual arousal
direct electrical stimulation in certain
areas within the limbic system results
in sexual pleasure & multiple orgasms
the limbic system is a region of the
brain associated with emotion and motivation
[picture of the human brain]
functional
MRI
woman bringing herself to orgasm through
thought and fantasy alone
[picture of areas of brain that are most
active under these conditions]
the
senses and sexual arousal
touch
primary
erogenous zones
locations most responsive to tactile
stimulation
because of dense
concentrations of nerve endings
(genitals, buttocks,
anus, perineum, breasts, inner thighs, armpits, navel, neck, ears, mouth)
secondary
erogenous zones
other locations of the body that have
become endowed with erotic significance through sexual conditioning
two-point
discrimination
average minimal distance where two
points are still felt:
tongue = 1 mm, fingertip = 2-3 mm, palm
= 1 cm, back = 4-7 cm
[picture of two-point discrimination
test being performed on someone’s fingertip]
If the area of each body part was
proportionate to its sensitivity people would look very different.
[picture of normal human body, picture
of body distorted to increase size of the most sensitive areas]
the
senses and sexual arousal
vision
smell
taste
hearing
TIME
April 11 2016
PORN
Why young men who grew up with Internet
porn are becoming advocates for turning it off.
[picture of cover of TIME magazine]
The Great Porn Experiment
http://yourbrainonporn.com/garys-tedx-talk-great-porn-experiment
[screenshot of YouTube video]
Gary Wilson speaker 2012 TEDx talk
[screenshot of Gary Wilson on YouTube]
human males response to novelty in porn
[graph from a published article about
habituation of sexual arousal
plotting penile circumference and
subjective arousal through multiple trials]
male ram response to novelty in female
sheep
[graph taken from “The Great Sex Divide”
plotting minutes to ejaculation as a
function of number of female presentations]
Noah Church’s website
http://addictedtointernetporn.com
[screenshot from Addicted to Internet
Porn website]
Gabe Deem founded Reboot Nation
[screenshot of Reboot Nation website]
aphrodisiac
a substance that allegedly arouses
sexual desire and increases the capacity for sexual activity
oysters, bananas, celery, cucumbers,
tomatoes, ginseng root, potatoes
ground-up horns of animals such as
rhinoceros and reindeer
alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates,
cantharides (“Spanish fly”), cocaine,
LSD and other psychedelic drugs, marijuana,
amyl nitrite (“poppers”), L-dopa, yohimbine, Libido
anaphrodisiac
a substance that inhibits sexual desire
and behavior
opiates (such as heroin, morphine, and
methadone)
tranquilizers, antihypertensives,
antidepressants, antipsychotics
nicotine, birth control pills,
progesterone
sedatives, ulcer drugs, appetite
suppressants, steroids, anticonvulsants
over-the-counter allergy medicines that
cause drowsiness
drugs for treating cancer, heart
disease, fluid retention, fungus infections
alcohol
and sex
alcohol is not a stimulant but a
depressant of the brain
alcohol reduces cortical inhibitions
such as fear and guilt
with increased levels of intoxication,
both men and women experience:
reduced
sexual arousal (as measured physiologically)
decreased
pleasurability and intensity of orgasm
increased
difficulty in attaining orgasm
alcohol
and sex
research has demonstrated a strong
association between the use of alcohol
and an inclination to participate in
high risk sexual practices (risk of AIDS etc)
Master’s and Johnson’s model of the
sexual response cycle
[graphs of female sexual response cycle]
excitement plateau orgasm resolution
[graph of male sexual response cycle]
excitement plateau orgasm refractory period resolution
Helen Singer Kaplan model of sexual
response
desire excitement orgasm
[graph of sexual response according to
Kaplan’s model]
.********************************************************************************.
THE ASEXUAL VISIBILITY & EDUCATION
NETWORK
An asexual person is a person who does
not experience sexual attraction.
http://www.asexuality.org/home
[screenshot of AVEN website]
[It’s] like being surrounded by people
talking or writing in a language you don’t understand.
You see symbols, you hear sounds, but
you don’t know how you’re supposed to respond to them.
Emily Hunt, 24 Canada
[picture of Emily Hunt]
It was like a huge weight off my chest.
The suffocation I felt trying to fit
myself into a box I didn’t belong in suddenly disappeared.
Stephanie, 22 Washington D.C.
[picture of Stephanie]
happy.
everything clicked so perfectly to how I
felt.
the sense [of] belonging or just knowing
there are other who feel the same way
makes me so happy cause
I wasn’t alone
Angel, 21 California
[picture of Angel]
I’m demisexual and also demiromantic
– this means that I can only feel sexual
attraction (and love)
towards people who I
have a close emotional bond with,
prototypically friends.
Strangers or simple acquaintances don’t
attract me neither physically nor emotionally.
fir, 27 Hungary
[picture of fir]
This is – and I cannot emphasize this
enough
– not a conscious decision and even less
of a moral stance,
I’m simply uncapable of it.
fir, 27 Hungary
[picture of fir]
It seems like everyone knows or wants to
know more about your sexual feelings than yourself.
Whenever you try to come out of the
closet, they push you back into it because in their opinion,
asexuality does not exist or that it’s
“just a phase”.
V. Germany
[picture of V]
Instead of trying to understand someone
and support them,
they make them feel more insecure than
they might have ever felt.
V. Germany
[picture of V]
I have one friend who ridiculed me with
the usual things when I first came out to him and I felt really awful.
The next day, he told me he’d done some
research on asexuality and wondered if he could ask me some questions.
Steph Rose, 24 Scotland
[picture of Steph Rose]
Once I’d answered what he wanted to
know, he apologized for what he’d said the day before.
So, just because someone doesn’t
understand right away, doesn’t mean they never will.
Steph Rose, 24 Scotland
[picture of Steph Rose]
My ideal romantic relationship would be
the one I’m currently in,
where I’m dating another asexual person
who supports me and who I can depend on.
Levi, 20 New York City
[picture of Levi, 20 and Bauer, 27]
Well, I’m aromantic as well as asexual,
so I don’t want any sort of romantic relationship.
I would, however, love to have a
quasiplatonic relationship with another girl someday.
And I want to have a few close friends,
like I do now.
Mar, 15 Connecticut, US
[picture of Mar]
I’d like loads of friends.
Friends for life.
Glen, 21 UK
[picture of Glen]
I’d like to spend time with them, hang
out, get drunk, play games,
maybe go on road trips, definitely do
road trips,
maybe make a band together, and just
generally have loads of fun together
and have some deep conversations along
the way at 3am when we’re all really pissed.
Glen, 21 UK
[picture of Glen]
I think my childish nature and love of
fun leaves a lot of people thinking
that rather than being asexual I just
need to “grow up”.
Selina, 25 Canada
[picture of Selina]
Before I realized I was asexual, I was
afraid of asexuality.
It was this big scary world I didn’t
understand, and I couldn’t figure out why.
Conversations about sex and sexuality
made me instantly uncomfortable,
and I tried to hide when I didn’t get
sexual jokes and inuendos.
Qunioa, 22
[picture of Qunioa]
Now that I know I’m not like most other
people, I’m not so afraid any more.
I don’t shy away from conversations
about sexuality,
and when I don’t understand something, I
ask.
It’s interesting to learn about all the
little things most other people experience.
Quniao, 22
[picture of Quniao]
Years ago, before I identified as
asexual, I just didn’t understand sex and sexuality…
I couldn’t comprehend why our society
was so sex-obsessed,
and I failed to grasp why people wanted
to be in relationships
and go through the whole hassle everyone
always talked about.
Kristin Grenier, 26 Lexington, Kentucky
[picture of Kristin Grenier]
As I came to understand my own
asexuality,
I saw the world of sex and sexuality in
a new light,
and I realized that, in a different way,
I was part of it.
Kristin Grenier, 26 Lexington, Kentucky
[picture of Kristin Grenier]
I first became sex-tolerant and then
sex-positive, and, today,
I firmly believe in sexual rights and
comprehensive sex education.
Kristin Grenier, 26, Lexington, Kentucky
[picture of Kristin Grenier]
I hope that one day awareness of
asexuality will become so common place
that children will grow up knowing that
asexuality is a thing that they could be
and that parents will have the knowledge
and resources to support their child’s (a)sexuality.
Vesper, 30 Japan
[picture of Vesper]
If I didn’t have discovered asexuality,
I would not be here.
I would not be alive.
Cammie, 22 Belo Horizonte, Brazil
[picture of Cammie]
.*******************************************************************************.
female sexual response cycle
three basic patterns in female sexual
response identified by Masters and Johnson
[graph A = female with sex response
cycle that includes one orgasm and possibly two orgasms
graph B = female with a sex response
cycle that spends a long time at plateau and never has an orgasm
graph C= female with a sex response cycle that goes
very quickly, making it hard to distinguish the phases]
male sexual response cycle
only one male response pattern
identified by Masters and Johnson
[graph of male sexual response cycle]
two fundamental physiological responses
to effective sexual stimulation occur in both women and men
vasocongestion = the engorgement of blood vessels in particular body
parts in response to sexual arousal
myotonia = muscle tension
[pictures of erectile tissue in penis
and clitoris before and after filling with blood]
[pictures of muscle activity during
sexual arousal recorded by myograph]
excitement
phase
duration: less than a minute – several
hours
engorgement
penis,
testes
clitoris,
labia minora, vagina, nipples
sex flush
increased muscle tension
increased heart rate and blood pressure
production of vaginal lubrication
[pictures of changes that occur during
the excitement phase]
plateau
phase
duration: a few seconds – several
minutes
heart rate, blood pressure, breathing
rate increases
sex flushes, genital discoloration more
noticeable
muscle tension increases
involuntary
contractions and spasms (face, neck, hands, feet)
markedly increased engorgement – outer
third of vagina
clitoris withdraws under hood
Cowper’s gland secretes
[pictures of changes that occur during
the plateau phase]
orgasm
phase
duration: a few seconds
series of muscular contractions of
pelvic floor muscles occurring at peak sexual arousal
male emission phase – seminal fluid
gathered in urethral bulb (sense that orgasm is inevitable)
male expulsion phase – semen expelled
out of penis
female – uterine contractions
[pictures of changes that occur during
the orgasm phase]
resolution
phase
if no additional stimulation occurs
resolution begins immediately after
orgasm
all sexual systems return to nonexcited
state
some changes take place rapidly, others
more slowly
[pictures of changes that occur during
the resolution phase]
after orgasm, the male typically enters
a
refractory
period
a time when no amount of additional
stimulation will result in orgasm
duration: minutes – days
factors affecting duration:
age
frequency
of previous sexual activity
degree
of emotional closeness to partner
women generally experience no comparable
refractory period
they are physiologically capable of
returning to another orgasmic peak
from
anywhere in the resolution phase
[graphs of male and female sexual
response cycles]
Grafenberg
spot (G spot)
area of erotic sensitivity along
anterior wall of the vagina
stimulation may result in intense orgasm
sometimes accompanied by ejaculation
(from urethra)
female ejaculate has components similar
to prostate secretions
[picture of G spot)
[colorized picture of MRI scan of penis
inside vagina]
according to Freud
clitoral orgasm = immature stage of
sexuality
vaginal orgasm = mature stage of
sexuality
sexual
response cycle of older women
vaginal lubrication
may
begin more slowly
amount
may be reduced
vaginal mucosa – thinner and lighter
colored
number of contractions at orgasm may
decrease
orgasmic contractions may be painful
resolution typically occurs more rapidly
sexual
response cycle of older men
penile erection takes minutes instead of
seconds
may
require more direct (manual or oral) stimulation
plateau phase may last much longer
number of contractions at orgasm may
decrease
resolution typically more rapid
refractory period lengthens to hours or
even days
differences
between male and female sexual response
greater
variability in female response
Masters and Johnson recognized three
patterns of sexual response in females, one in males
[graphs of male and female sexual
response cycles]
the
male refractory period
no comparable period in women
[graphs of male and female sexual
response cycles]
multiple
orgasms
both women and men have had multiple
orgasms under laboratory conditions
greater percentage of women (vs. men)
have experienced multiple orgasms
[graphs of male and female sexual
response cycles]
J