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Subscribe to RSSThey call sex “dirty.”
They are right.
Messing around is messy business, involving certain human juices that – during any fully clothed hour of the day – usually elicit at least a wince: saliva, sweat, semen, plus body odors. An intimate river of secretions. (Let’s see someone pen a love song using that title. We’re guessing Madonna is up for the challenge.)
They didn't dub it “bumpin' uglies” for nothing. But some of the physiological funk that accompanies sex begs a scientific question: How have eons of generations procreated, keeping the species alive, when reproduction requires us to either A) ignore certain bodily fluids or B) pretty much embrace them?
A new study conducted in the Netherlands offers a possible answer: Sexual arousal seems to dampen our natural disgust response. The findings were published Wednesday in the open access journal PLOS ONE. Lab tests blended porn and plastic bugs – but more on that lovely combo in a second. The researchers discovered that if you’re in the mood, love conquers all, even the stanky stuff, neurologically speaking.
“This (answers) the intriguing question of how people succeed in having pleasurable sex at all,” wrote the authors, led by Charmaine Borg of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. “Sex and disgust are basic, evolutionary relevant functions that are often construed as paradoxical … and possibly obstructive.”
Even Sigmund Freud, who had a little something to say on sex, recognized this fact, writing: “A man, who will kiss a pretty girl’s mouth passionately, may perhaps be disgusted by the idea of using her toothbrush.” True that.
Ironically – at least to us – the Dutch team chose to test heterosexual females with an average age of 23 versus the horniest people on the planet: college dudes. The subjects, recruited from the University of Groningen, were assigned to one of three categories: “sexual arousal,” “non-sexual, positive arousal,” and a neutral control group.
To stir the women into the desired states for the experiments, the “sexual arousal” subset was shown a 35-minute, “female friendly” erotic film – “de Gast” – which in Dutch means, “The Guest.” (Feel free to imagine the plotline but we’re assuming “the guest” was a really good listener and an excellent cuddler who swore that those jeans in no way made her butt look huge.) Meanwhile, the “positive arousal group” got to watch an adrenaline-rush movie on rafting, skydiving and mountain climbing. And the control group’s featured footage: a train trip offering natural scenery. (Zzzzzz.)
Researchers next asked all the women to complete 16 gross tasks, including sipping juice from a cup containing an insect (the bug was plastic) and wiping their hands with a "used" tissue (the snot was just colored ink).
The erotically revved women agreed to perform the highest percentage of repulsive jobs, the study reported. And they did those disagreeable duties “with less disgust than subjects who were not sexually aroused,” the authors wrote, “suggesting that the state of arousal has some effect on women's disgust response.”
Following their volunteer work, the lascivious ladies were supplied with “refreshments” then handed a parting gift: 10 Euros. In Amsterdam, apparently that's the traditional culmination of “date night.”
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Sex is a messy business but someone has to do it! :-)
Beautiful and pathetic woman, the heart-throb of man. Sleeping Sun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L3e2LQngae0
As a 63 y.o. male with a min of 1,000 sexual liaisons in my life, cannot get past that Tuna smell. Always put my clothes on a left when that entered the scene! There is not much more that I enjoy than eating at the "Y" when a woman has properly cleaned herself.
Yep, Ernie. But as far as the article is concerned.... "dampen our natural disgust response...." Dampen our natural disgust response. Oh come on!! Oooops...... I guess the author's pun slipped through the crack?
Then why does my girlfriend keep gagging all the time during sex?
@twodogs.....perhaps because she's not sufficiently aroused.
Okay, now that we know this...
Seriously. This is BS. Anything to attract a reader. Dumbed-down journalism.
This has less to do with "dumbed-down journalism" and more to do with a pointless academic study - a journalist just happened to report it.
Common Sense, I guess it worked, huh?
The point of studies like this are to prove or dis-prove speculative theories about human psychology and physiology thereby reducing the number of policies set in place by politicians who hold erroneous beliefs, such as, "A women's body just kind of shuts down during rape, preventing her from becoming pregnant."
It also helps to answer that nagging question of just how certain people ever manage to get laid.
I remember when I was 23 I thought lots of things were disgusting, baby poop, seamen, slugs....now i am 36 and I have six kids ( two boys ) NOTHING bothers me....I can change a baby while watching a real operation on HBO and then eat a turkey sandwich without a second thought. My mom arrives to take the kids for icecream so I have exactly 35 minutes to have sex with my husband....I am ready! I don't walk around with a constant state of arousal either. You grow up and pretty much nothing bothers you---life is slimy and messy and wonderful. I think this study is bunk for those of us that have fully developed frontal lobes.
Someone funded this study hopefully with all Euros.
Common sense - you win the laugh of the day trophy. Suggestions:
Re-think your handle.
Think before you type.
Think.
Thanks, Jim. Beat me to it...........
Kallie.........Seamen disgusted you ? I'll bet you married a Marine !
That is funny MM---the funny thing is that I DID marry a marine....lol We married at 18 --young and stupid but it has lasted 18 wonderful years! And neither seaman or semen gross me out anymore ( I did mention I have two boys uggg!)
Uhhh, the last line---volunteers?? Paid in gifts?? Doesn't that make them NOT volunteers? Stupid study. Did someone have to pay for The article is entitled "Sexually aroused women..." does this not apply to men? Obviously it does.
Sex...Paid...Prostitution?
Calm down,Tony.They didn't have sex, they participated in a study.
Understood, but payment for any "encounter" can be considered prostitution, even paying a lady to expose her left breast so a guy can do himself.
There's an article on it somewhere. I will see if I can find it.
This explains how women are able to have sex with some of you guys.
This response wins.
But it explains the term "coyote ugly"! That is where you will chew off your arm in order to not wake that ugly thing that is laying on your arm the next morning!
I've got so old, I am getting a tad disgusting. I, therefore, in a spirit of selfless scientific inquiry, volunteer to be exposed to large numbers of sexually aroused younger women.
Note to self: Make sure they are excited BEFORE taking them to messy home.
This explains the choices women make for those male partners on the Maury show.
"But I also use them for everything in between too!!!!!"
In between what pray-tell?
LOL! Reminds me of the old farmer describing his pre-date ablutions: "First, I wash as far down as possible. Then, I wash as far up as possible. Then I wash Possible."
To quote Woody Allen:
Yes - this is so true! When I am fully aroused I am willing to put my tongue anywhere and everywhere on my husband's body. I feel like it isn't real sex unless it is truly dirty!
Pyeon Mi...
for the record: I love you. ;)
....no ,they're just GROSS, period.
The other night I saw a commercial on tee-vee with the woman as the protagonist, and the color pink follwed her wherever she went.
MY favorite color is BLUE - the color of the sea and sky.
the color pink reminds me of blood, blood, and more blood. GRRROOOOOOSSSSSS.
what's your favorite color ?
The sweat, the exchange of fluids, the smell, the cigarette smoke, these aren't the worst things about sex. The worst thing is in about 12 or 13 years your house is full of teenagers, talk about the mess!!!
THIS passes for science in the Netherlands?
Well, considering that Dutch students score well ahead of Americans in math and science knowledge, perhaps America needs to redefine what passes for science here in the States.
This explains why people still procreated in the Middle Ages when twice yearly baths were the norm!
Now days it's just easier to ride on motorcycles and hope it rains occasionally.
Napoleon wrote to Josephine that he was "two days from being home. Don't wash."
In other words, he wanted to smell HER, not soaps and perfumes. There is something erotic about the natural smell of people, especially when excited, but we like to market deodorant, cologne and perfume to people to make sales.
Tony, I think the French are still like today from what I've read.
Uh...Note to Self: Tony in Dallas is an Idiot
Prostitution? Where does it say that? This was not a study about men...we all know men are horny all the time. (Hetero and homosexual alike.) Apparently, you cannot read. That's pretty sad.
It's called putting 2 and 2 together.
It's also called drawing comparisons for humorous effect. You know, humor? That thing that other people are laughing at while you stand there going "huh?"
Scary cats are afraid of blood....wimp!
What's disturbing to me is how so many relatively well educated people misuse the expression 'begging the question.' Good god - look it up - it has nothing to do with requiring that a question be asked. Stop the madness!!
Yep...always thought it was weird how germ-phobic people are... constant handwashing... then they will get down & lick somebody's smelliest regions @#!!
Yuck.....Now I know I'm not going to have sex. It sounds gross. I'll stick with my favorite porn website and Brillo pads.
Good one 53 in Texas
Go strange and chance hands once in awhile
OR become ambidextrous and immediately double your chances for a date next weekend.
Or wrap your hand around the shower curtain so you think it's someone else's hand.
Don't ask me how I know these things...
@ 53 in Texas:
Brillo Pads.... What they for. New to me. I must have missed something at the Y (YMCA that is)
"The erotically revved women agreed to perform the highest percentage of repulsive jobs, the study reported. And they did those disagreeable duties “with less disgust than subjects who were not sexually aroused,”
Gross, repulsive, disagreeable. And apparently there's "disgust" and "less disgust", no other options. Sounds a little harsh to me, but then, maybe I'm not doing it right.
Kallie said "I remember when I was 23 I thought lots of things were disgusting, baby poop, seamen, slugs..."
What have you got against mariners?
Good information...................sexually aroused women aren't easily grossed out.........Who needs a wife(girlfriend)????...now all I have to do is get a couple of horny women at the local bar to come over and clean my house.......:-)
That reminds me of the old joke about the hooker & the old man.
She tells him for $100 she will do anything he wants her to.
He thought about it for a few minutes & gives her the $100.
Then he tells her "Paint my house"
its Obama's fault...oh wait, sorry, wrong article:)
No Jeff, I think you ARE right. There's gotta be something he has to do with this. Maybe he'll push a law into fact to eliminate something here. Yeah baby! He's good at that.
Or like part of a conversation my sister overheard, and told me about. It started out: "if you get passed the smell, you have some licking, get done with the licking, you got some dicking." That's why I make sure my boy friend and I shower together before we go to bed. And that's all I am going to say.
LOL at all you people talking trash on this study as being silly. You obviously have no concept of scientific method in the slightest. Do I really have to explain it? I guess so, here goes:
Just because something is "common sense" doesn't make it true, nor does it advance your understanding on that thing. It can, however, form the basis of a hypothesis (that's your vocab word of the day). But a hypothesis must be proven with "blind" scientific studies before it can move forward. Once that has taken place, as it has with this survey, further studies can lead to more insight. For example, they can begin more involved (and expensive) studies of the brain activity of aroused people as it relates to their revulsion reaction. Then maybe they can identify a neurological chemical related to this that will help people who have hard time enjoying sex or who have an overpowering revulsion response. But all this further study would have never been undertaken if they hadn't proven the initial hypothesis to have some merit by dropping a plastic bug in a girl's drink. Science. It's your friend!
The post WWII baby boomers are the first generation of Americans to take more than a Saturday night bath for church on Sunday.
well that explains 2 girls 1 cup