Quote:
Originally Posted by Squinky
So what are women, as a general rule, aroused by? And how much of that would you say is a product of biology, how much is a product of psychology, and how much is a product of society?
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I think women's responses are more complicated, in part because biologically speaking, they have to be--men can satisfy the biological impetus to sustain the species within a matter of minutes (unless it's tantric, but whatever), but women, who are
still, in this society, expected to be primarily responsible for the nurturing of progeny, are tied to the process for years. I certainly think that nurture, societal expectations, etc., are valid and important influences, but we are still animals. Civilization is such a flimsy veneer; it doesn't take much to send people back to reptile brain response.
But, as creatures with very large brains in developed countries, we
do have the ability to make choices. So as women, we can choose to bear children or not; for most of my life, I chose not, mainly because I was very busy with my career and I simply was not interested.
Here's what medical research (a la Goliath) says about the guys:
Past research has indicated the importance of the visual sensory modality for male sexual arousal (Byrne, 1977; Ellis & Symons, 1999; Gold & Gold, 1991; Przybyla, Byrne, & Kelley, 1983). Men, more than women, focus on the physical aspects and characteristics of sexual fantasy partners and on the sexual behaviors being performed (Ellis & Symons, 1999; Geary, Vigil, & Byrd-Craven, 2004) and may also be more readily prompted to fantasize by exposure to external, visual cues (Gold & Gold, 1991). In the absence of external visual stimuli, the ability to form clear, vivid images still appears to be important in facilitating arousal (Harris, Yulis, & LaCoste, 1980; Przybyla & Byrne, 1984; Przybyla et al., 1983; Smith & Over, 1987, 1988).
I enjoy looking at men, but looking is not enough to start my engine. Close, but not enough.
