female sexual motivation

Chapter 13 The so-called love (4)
Miranda Ream, a researcher at Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues have been studying prairie dogs and meadow gophers, and they've made a startling discovery: Loyal prairie dogs can also become ordinary libertines, All you have to do is disable the "love" receptors in its brain.Of course, they can also turn a libertine into a lifelong companion.Miranda Ream and colleagues introduced the love receptor gene from prairie dogs into the brains of meadow gophers via a harmless virus.The love receptors in the meadow gophers' brains amplified in the area of ​​reward.A jaw-dropping thing happened: the lecherous gopher was no longer so flirtatious, nor so cynical, and seemed to settle down and enjoy family happiness.

As mentioned before, after orgasm, the human brain will secrete oxytocin and vasopressin, which is the same as that of laboratory mice.So is loitering in humans as innate as meadow gophers?Maston's lab is working on this.Researcher Lisa Dawn Hamilton conducted an experiment to test whether the hormones in the brains of "passionate" and "specialized" people are the same.Dedicated means not only being loyal to your current partner, but never dreaming or "slobbering" about others.Passionate means having multiple sexual partners at the same time, or constantly cheating.

Participants in the experiment were divided into passionate and dedicated groups.Two groups of participants were shown several pictures, and their brains were scanned in the process.There are three types of pictures: pornographic (such as sexual intercourse), warm (such as lovers holding hands or smiling at each other), and neutral (such as wild scenery).The scans primarily looked to see if the reward areas in the brain were activated.Prediction of the experiment: the affectionate person's reaction to the warm picture is stronger than that of the passionate person; both groups have a stronger reaction to the pornographic picture than the neutral picture.So far, participants in experiments have been limited to men, and the above predictions have been borne out.The reward areas of the brain lit up like a Christmas tree when the devoted person saw pornographic and intimate images.In stark contrast, the brains of the amorous people were only active when they saw the pornographic images; the reward areas in the brain were largely inactive when they saw the warm images.Are some people naturally promiscuous and others naturally loyal?The question is still inconclusive, and more experiments are needed in Maston's lab.

things I forget
Humans have the same instinctive libido as lab rats.But human sexual behavior (from the attitude towards sex to love) is influenced by culture, especially religion.

Religious denominations vary widely in their teachings on human sexuality, with some being more conservative and others being more liberal.The religious books that have the deepest influence on Americans' sexual concepts are the Book of Leviticus from Judaism's "Torah" and "Bible Old Testament". The Book of Leviticus records the sexual taboos revealed to Moses by the God Jehovah. Those who disobey will be severely punished, generally burned to death or stoned to death.Sexual taboos include adultery, incest, menstrual intercourse, sodomy, and intercourse with animals. The book of Leviticus does not prohibit sex within marriage.In fact, there are large passages in the Old Testament affirming marriage and sex within marriage. The book of Leviticus also does not prohibit premarital sex.But other books of the Bible clearly state that women who lose their virginity before marriage can be put to death. ("Deuteronomy" 22:13-29) But there is no similar punishment for men.

It is well documented in psychology that violating religious taboos makes women feel guilty, and for them, sex is no longer enjoyment but torture.But the experience of some women interviewed was inspiring. They talked about religious beliefs that made sex more beautiful, and even sublimated the connection with their partners into a soul-to-God communication:

According to Jewish law, to be intimate with a loved one on the Sabbath is to practice good virtue.In Jewish mysticism, there is a sexual imagery that mimics the union of man with God and the rebirth of the entire world.I can't describe the feeling...but the pure joy of sex, the connection with another human being makes me feel more deeply the cycle of life and the hidden power between heaven and earth...essentially, God.

—Heterosexual female, 21 years old

He seemed to come from my dream, it was soul-stirring, I flew to the sky, saw God, it was fairyland or the world, I could no longer tell the difference.

—Heterosexual female, 23 years old

I was thinking that if God is everywhere, then Christ lives in everyone.If Christ lives in me, then He must live in my lover.It occurred to me one day that if we are united, then it is Christ seeking Christ.What a wonderful thing.

—Heterosexual female, 20 years old

And for some women, sex doesn't lift the soul:

I grew up never talking about God or sex, so in my mind, God and sex are both very special and out of my reach.Then I got a boyfriend, but he waited a long time before I opened up to him.At the time, I thought sex was as mysterious and unfathomable as religion.Actually not.

—Heterosexual female, 21 years old

How can sex turn people to God?It may be instructive to understand what happens to the brain of believers when they introspect.In their book "The Esoteric Experience," radiologist Dr. Andrew Neuberger and his colleague Eugene Dakiri studied the brains of Buddhist monks meditating and Franciscan monks praying. Scans were performed and it was found that the parietal lobe in their brains was suppressed.The parietal lobe is mainly responsible for logical thinking, rational thinking and linear thinking, such as making you produce the concept of space and time.Newberg and Daqili said that when the parietal lobe is inhibited, people's sense of time and space will be confused, thus entering the realm of "harmony between man and nature".So, maybe in the ups and downs, people's brains are bombarded by time and space information, and they lose their conventional sense of identity, so they enter the realm of "forgetting both things and me".

Baroque sculpture master Gian Lorenzo Bernini has an immortal masterpiece "The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa", in which the saint Teresa reveals the appearance of ecstasy, which shows that as early as hundreds of years ago, people Religious ecstasy has been linked to worldly carnal desires.To this day, there are still many faithful female believers who cannot accept purely non-religious sex.

love and affection

After a preliminary investigation, we found that there is not much difference in the frequency of sex between men and women because of good feelings.But the results of a survey conducted by the Bath Lab show that men and women place great differences in the importance of relationships.The staff interviews heterosexual men and women around the world and asks them a deeply sensitive question:

Please think about your most serious relationship, whether it was in the past, the present, or the future you hope to have.Suppose you suddenly find out that your beloved is cheating, which of the following things makes you more intolerable: A. Your lover is having sex with someone else; B. Your lover is having passionate sex with someone else on the bed.

There is no doubt that women are even less tolerant of their boyfriend's mental infidelity, that is, being emotionally invested in others.This is very consistent with the theory of evolution.In the eyes of women, the fact that their man has sex with another woman does not mean that he is serious, maybe it is just a momentary sexual impulse.If he has a relationship with another woman, then sex again is inevitable.If he not only had sex with another woman but also had a relationship, then he is likely to invest time, energy, and money in another woman-this poses a complete threat to himself.

It is worth mentioning here that animals as loyal to love as prairie dogs are very rare, and the vast majority of animals in the world are prone to love affairs.Humans are one of the few primates that practice monogamy, and human love can last for years, decades, or even a lifetime.Chimpanzees, our closest relatives, are not monogamous, and they only have sex when the female is in heat.Female chimpanzees expose their swollen genitals during ovulation, and the smell makes male chimpanzees go crazy.But after the female chimpanzee passed her estrous period, the male chimpanzee became indifferent.So, chimpanzee romances are short-lived.

Women do not have a clear "estrous period", but "secret ovulation".Although women will also show some subtle changes during the ovulation period, such as smooth and tender skin and strong sexual desire, the scientific community believes that men cannot effectively judge whether a woman is ovulating.From an evolutionary point of view, those males who successfully carry on the family often need to circle around the female for a long time, and the time should not be less than one ovulation cycle.Because the probability of pregnancy after one-time sex is only 3% to 4%, temporary pleasure-seeking basically cannot successfully sow seeds.Some scholars believe that secret ovulation is conducive to strengthening the dual connection between men and women. Women do not have periodic estrus and are always attractive to men, attracting men to guard themselves and their children wholeheartedly.

But this can't explain the fiery love, and why only human beings are willing to go through fire and water for love.Evolutionary psychologists believe that this intense feeling is the guarantee of a long-lasting love.If your partner is madly infatuated with you, only for you, not for other people or things, coupled with a series of hormones produced by sex, his or her love for you will intensify, regardless of rich or poor, regardless of health or Illness, are determined to guard by your side.Conversely, if your partner chooses to be with you out of a rational choice - for example, you have wealth or no children, etc., then he or she is likely to leave you for the same reasons and move towards better conditions rival in love.

(End of this chapter)