[Giligan]

Originally Posted by Merricat

Dan, get a grip.

Well, you know, the whole "If I want to see boobies, I'll look at myself naked in a mirror" was kind of gross...

[Jatsie]

If you really want gross, imagine that statement coming from a man.

[Merricat]

Like Stephen Baldwin. *shudders*

Well, the real problem with Squinky's declaration is that women, as a general rule, are not aroused by visuals; that's pretty much a male reaction. Not that women don't appreciate visuals--I was quite struck by the sight of Will in a frock coat when we were actors in a Tom Stoppard play (very handsome, very dashing and romantic). But that image was working on my brain, not any assorted organs or body parts (that came later). And as we all know, when men are, shall we say, interested, their brains stop working.

[RLacey]

Whatever.

[Jatsie]

Little Eichmann.

[Merricat]

Originally Posted by RLacey

Whatever.

Clever repartee is really your forte, isn't it? Wait, let me say it--

whatever.

[RLacey]

Why, thank you.

[Giligan]

Pfft.

[RLacey]

Indeed.

[Jatsie]

Tiddly winks.

[RLacey]

Quite.

[Squinky]

Originally Posted by Merricat

Well, the real problem with Squinky's declaration is that women, as a general rule, are not aroused by visuals; that's pretty much a male reaction. Not that women don't appreciate visuals--I was quite struck by the sight of Will in a frock coat when we were actors in a Tom Stoppard play (very handsome, very dashing and romantic). But that image was working on my brain, not any assorted organs or body parts (that came later). And as we all know, when men are, shall we say, interested, their brains stop working.

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?

I'm generally not a fan of essentialist "women are X/men are Y" statements, mainly because, well, myself and most people I seem to get along with best deviate from such commonly-held assumptions. But then, I've never been a man, biologically, so I have no measure of comparison as to how and to what extent said biology would feel different. The anecdotes of other men aren't necessarily convincing because there's always that matter of "is this true of all men, or just this individual or subgroup of men?"

[Squinky]

I should also add that, even though I try not to do it too often because I'd rather get to know people as people rather than sex objects, I have been known to enjoy, er, looking. At men, that is.

[stepurhan]

Originally Posted by Merricat

And as we all know, when men are, shall we say, interested, their brains stop working.

Originally Posted by RLacey

Whatever.

Originally Posted by RLacey

Indeed.

Hmm. "Whatever" and "Indeed" are responses that don't require a working brain. Does this mean that Robert finds a lot of posts in this thread............ nah!

[Jatsie]

According to Swedish scientists, I have a female brain, so where am I supposed to fit into all this?

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1815538,00.html

[Squinky]

The kitchen. Barefoot and pregnant.

[Jatsie]

Like a slutty Cinderella?

[Merricat]

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?

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.

[Giligan]

Men have such simple psychology. Why can't women be like us?

[VoodooFX]

Originally Posted by Giligan

Men have such simple psychology. Why can't women be like us?

Because there wouldn't be enough beer around for all, if they were.

(coming from the mouth of a sworn anti-alcoholic)