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Sex can be, well, kinda gross. So how do we have sex?
Once we’re turned on, it turns out, it gets harder for icky stuff to turn us off. Women, anyway. Gross things just don’t seem as gross when gals feel amorous. So says a study in the journal PLoS ONE. [Charmaine Borg and Peter J. de Jong, Feelings of Disgust and Disgust-Induced Avoidance Weaken following Induced Sexual Arousal in Women]
Researchers found that sexual arousal dampens the disgust response in women, both in the bedroom and outside of it. In the study, three groups of women—unaroused, generally aroused, and specifically sexually aroused—were assigned a series of tasks associated with a disgust response.
Some tasks were sexual, like lubricating a vibrator. Others were really unsexy, such as drinking from a cup with a big insect in it. Sexually aroused women were the most ready to lubricate sex toys—but they were also less squeamish than the other women about drinking from the bug cup.
The goal is to advance the treatment of sexual dysfunction and the lowered levels of arousal that can underlie it. So that people will say yes to the mess.
—Ian Chant
[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]
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13 Comments
Add CommentWhat is the best time to suggest to your wife that it's time to clean to toilet?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAfter you did it already yourself, last time. This is your only window so seize it; mistime the window on pain of death.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI'm very disappointed that this topic is covered within this site. I know it is science, however, I believed this site was student-friendly and have had no issues up to this point with content. I am a middle school science teacher and have had my students selecting one podcast a week to write an essay reflection about, but I now believe I need to find a more age-appropriate site. I'm frustrated to say the least.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMiddle school students already know about everything mentioned in this article. Overly protective, overly prudish selection does not benefit the children. I'm not suggesting you show them porn (which a good number of them have probably seen anyway), but this article is plenty tame for their age level.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is like all the parents claiming their kids are little chaste angels, meanwhile their kids have already tossed asside their halos and wings and are getting busy in the backseat of some car... usually without the necessary conversations and information for saftey, because their parents felt their kid was too chaste to need the discussion. I realize that 5th graders are on the low end of this spectrum and generally aren't going that far, but they aren't pre-schoolers either, they can understand this and hear about it anyway... why pretend otherwise?
You are speaking about a periodical specifically targeted at adult readers here. If I were a middle school teacher looking for content for my students "Age appropriate" would be among the very first things I checked. Sorry you were disappointed, but there is plenty of middle school appropriate content out there.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIf I remember my middle school era correctly, I was a raging and clumsy stack of adolescent hormones. Were a teacher to put sexual topics into specific biological/psychological contexts, it would have bored the 'urges' right on out of me and I may have learned something in the process.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiscemarcum, you're suggesting that a publication devoted to reporting on scientific research and targeted at an older demographic censor itself for middle school students? This isn't even inappropriate for that age group given the scientific perspective it is presented from. I completely agree with tharriss.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's interesting that Scholastic Instructor magazine listed this website on their "10 Podcasts for Teachers and Kids" so obviously I'm not the only one who made this mistake. I will write to Scholastic and suggest they remove this site from their website as well. I have since found a much more appropriate site for enriching the education of my students. Thank you for your supportive words.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHello cemarcum, I'm Steve Mirsky, Scientific American's podcast editor. I'm disappointed that our coverage of human sexuality might not only drive you away from the podcast, but motivate you to have us delisted as an education site elsewhere as well. I think you could have seized on this subject matter and turned it into a teachable moment: after the giggles died down, maybe you could have led a discussion of possible evolutionary reasons for the response discussed in the piece. Perhaps there is still time to do that. Best wishes, sm
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe fact that middle schoolers are comfortable in a highly sexualized culture does not imply we should continue encouraging it. Does Scientific American also need to succumb to the fact that sex sells. Aren't there enough other interesting science related news items to cover ? There are plenty of other venues for "learning" about sex.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAnd I think implying that cemarcum is prudish is a bit of name-calling. As to what is not appropriate for middle schoolers, someone draws a line at porn, and cemarcum draws a line at an article involving lubricating sex toys. It's a matter of taste and not right/wrong.
Sex is a normal part of life, for instance, I teach kindergarten for a regional and prestigious school and I tell my kids about this.... ok so I don’t.... still part of Life....
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSex is a normal part of life cemarcum, for instance, I teach kindergarten for a regional and prestigious school and I tell my kids about this.... ok so I don’t.... still part of Life.... Have you been tested for idiocy?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe race for the Ignobels continues.
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