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Love, Sex and the Male Brain

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HopeGrows
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24 Mar 2010, 11:59 pm

Very interesting article at CNN about the anatomical differences between male and female brains (impacting behavior related to love and sex):

http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/03/23/b ... tml?hpt=C2

A few highlights:

Men and Emotion
"Studies of men's faces show that the male brain's initial emotional reaction can be stronger than the female brain's. But within 2.5 seconds, he changes his face to hide the emotion, or even reverse it. The repeated practice of hiding his emotions gives men the classic poker face."

The "Man Trance"
"If testosterone were beer, a 9-year-old boy would be getting the equivalent of a cup a day. But a 15-year-old would be getting the equivalent of nearly two gallons a day. This fuels their sexual engines and makes it impossible for them to stop thinking about female body parts and sex. All that testosterone drives the "Man Trance"-- that glazed-eye look a man gets when he sees breasts."

Falling in Love
"Despite stereotypes to the contrary, the male brain can fall in love just as hard and fast as the female brain, and maybe more so. When he meets and sets his sights on capturing "the one," mating with her becomes his prime directive. And when he succeeds, his brain makes an indelible imprint of her. Lust and love collide and he's hooked."

"Lonely Hearts" Club
"Not only is the mature male brain more receptive to closer bonds, but it's also more sensitive to loneliness. Nobody thrives when they're lonely, but it seems to take a major toll on older men....unless he makes a point of socializing more with other people, his brain stops getting the social workout it needs to make him feel good about himself. If he becomes a loner, his social-approval circuits don't get activated."


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KaolTamalak
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25 Mar 2010, 12:14 am

Two gallons of testosterone - that's alot of testosterone slushing around in the brain.



WoundedDog
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25 Mar 2010, 1:12 am

HopeGrows wrote:
"Not only is the mature male brain more receptive to closer bonds, but it's also more sensitive to loneliness. Nobody thrives when they're lonely, but it seems to take a major toll on older men....unless he makes a point of socializing more with other people, his brain stops getting the social workout it needs to make him feel good about himself. If he becomes a loner, his social-approval circuits don't get activated."


This is very true for me. I've never been lonelier than in the past year and it's made it hard to function in other areas of life.



ValMikeSmith
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25 Mar 2010, 1:15 am

<deleted post> Basically I think the story is bogus.



Last edited by ValMikeSmith on 25 Mar 2010, 2:25 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sound
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25 Mar 2010, 1:46 am

Feel like posting this in the Links thread, HopeGrows? :wink:



Apple_in_my_Eye
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25 Mar 2010, 2:08 am

Interesting article. Thought I add this one:

http://www.ravenkaldera.org/activism/feminist.html

It's an account of how testosterone feels, written by a female-to-male transsexual. I've read a few other accounts like this and it's interesting when certain male behaviors suddenly "makes sense" to someone -- the point being that if you're male it can be surprising to realize that someone could be surprised.

There's something vaguely odd that we're all humans but that the experience can vary in these biological ways so much.



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25 Mar 2010, 2:47 am

Apple_in_my_Eye wrote:
Interesting article. Thought I add this one:

http://www.ravenkaldera.org/activism/feminist.html

It's an account of how testosterone feels, written by a female-to-male transsexual. I've read a few other accounts like this and it's interesting when certain male behaviors suddenly "makes sense" to someone -- the point being that if you're male it can be surprising to realize that someone could be surprised.

There's something vaguely odd that we're all humans but that the experience can vary in these biological ways so much.


Thanks for sharing this article. Very enlightening.



Sound
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25 Mar 2010, 5:17 am

Apple_in_my_Eye wrote:
Interesting article. Thought I add this one:

http://www.ravenkaldera.org/activism/feminist.html

It's an account of how testosterone feels, written by a female-to-male transsexual. I've read a few other accounts like this and it's interesting when certain male behaviors suddenly "makes sense" to someone -- the point being that if you're male it can be surprising to realize that someone could be surprised.

There's something vaguely odd that we're all humans but that the experience can vary in these biological ways so much.

This article is incredible.

Ladies, read it. It's an incredible inside into the male life and mindset, especially in regards to sexuality.

Quote:
I think most female researchers wouldn't get that concept because they probably don't have it very often (if at all), and most male researchers wouldn't get it because it's too familiar, the air they breathe and the water they swim in.

^ Great observation in the article, fascinating perspective.



PLA
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25 Mar 2010, 6:30 am

Oh, that is a very interesting article!

Quote:
I also learned something chilling about my new sexuality - it was far, far more programmable than it used to be. Before T, my sexual interests were fairly static and increased slowly, one new thing at a time. If I didn't like something, I just didn't like it. After T, I discovered that if I could think about something heretofore not sexually interesting during approximately six masturbation-to-orgasm sessions, that item would become a turn-on in and of itself....no matter what it was. I could literally program myself in a Pavlovian manner to be aroused by whatever I wanted. I found this out by accident, after I inadvertently added a few new dishes to my arousal buffet without meaning to. When I realized this, I sort of sat in shock for a while, and then I said to myself, "Boy, you're going to have to be very, very careful from now on."

Yep, that's fairly accurate.

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But the big question: Did I turn into a rapist? Nope. I'm still sane, still fully in control of myself. The T may have affected my urges, but it did not affect my actions. I can still choose how I will and will not express a particular urge, and the line between fantasy and reality hasn't budged an inch. This would suggest to me that when a man goes wrong somehow, it isn't just about what's giving him the urge so much as what's keeping him from controlling it. Testosterone may be a contributing factor, but not an excuse.

Exactly. As an excuse, it invites a punch in the teeth.

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I am a little quicker to anger though, and it doesn't go away as easily as it used to. Time was, I would get pissed, do nothing about it, distract myself with another activity, and it would go away. At least I thought it had; the colitis attacks and nervous tics seemed to suggest that a female hormone pattern isn't useful so much for not having rage as being more successful at repressing it down to the subconscious where it can fester. After T, if I get angry, I have to work it out of my system either with a cathartic resolution or some kind of hard physical work. If I don't, I'll stay angry for a long time, sometimes even for days. It sounds awful, but I find it's actually healthier in the long run. Anger is the emotion most likely to eat you up inside. Better to split wood or run five miles than to live with it inside you. Of course, this is the self-observation I will freely admit is most likely to be altogether too subjective and personal to me, so take it with a grain of salt. The inarguable conclusion, though, is that I did not become more assaultive. Again, no excuse.

Although I admit that rage makes me feel more wobbly than other urges, so rage and exhaustion is a bad combination.
I'm very familiar with something that could be called "a cathartic resolution". It's a bit like yawning, only not. :?


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Hector
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25 Mar 2010, 8:21 am

I'm skeptical about much of the analysis made. For example:

Quote:
The "defend your turf" area -- dorsal premammillary nucleus -- is larger in the male brain and contains special circuits to detect territorial challenges by other males. And his amygdala, the alarm system for threats, fear and danger is also larger in men. These brain differences make men more alert than women to potential turf threats.


I don't find this to be a persuasive argument. And I see snap deductions like this all over the article. I presume that a person with her qualifications has more to back up her statements than that, but I remain unconvinced.



HopeGrows
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25 Mar 2010, 12:33 pm

@Sound - Yes, I'll post in in your "Love Links" thread - aren't they going to sticky that? It's really only going to serve it's purpose if they sticky it.

@Apple_in_my_Eye - Please also post your link in @Sound's "Love Links" thread, cause my reaction when I read that link was, "OMG." Wow - talk about one of the few people on the planet who could provide that kind of perspective. I agree with @Sound - every woman should read it.


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PLA
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25 Mar 2010, 4:43 pm

I'd be interested in the inverted account; a subjective documentation of the changes in losing testosterone after growing up soaked in it.


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HopeGrows
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25 Mar 2010, 4:57 pm

PLA wrote:
I'd be interested in the inverted account; a subjective documentation of the changes in losing testosterone after growing up soaked in it.


Gosh, that would be an interesting read. Dude, two gallons a day?! I'm surprised the human body can withstand it.


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25 Mar 2010, 5:28 pm

Apple_in_my_Eye wrote:
Interesting article. Thought I add this one:

http://www.ravenkaldera.org/activism/feminist.html

It's an account of how testosterone feels, written by a female-to-male transsexual. I've read a few other accounts like this and it's interesting when certain male behaviors suddenly "makes sense" to someone -- the point being that if you're male it can be surprising to realize that someone could be surprised.

There's something vaguely odd that we're all humans but that the experience can vary in these biological ways so much.


Thank you for posting this. It was one of the most enlightening accounts that I have ever read. I wish there were more people like him, sharing their stories.


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Apple_in_my_Eye
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25 Mar 2010, 5:39 pm

PLA wrote:
I'd be interested in the inverted account; a subjective documentation of the changes in losing testosterone after growing up soaked in it.


That ought to be easier to find actually -- the experiences of male-to-female transsexuals. There was an NPR piece... (goes to look it up)... Ok this does not involve trans people, but for medical reasons (I think cancer treatment) there is a guy who had his testosterone level temporarily reduced to zero. Said he lost his desire for most everything, but that it was kind of pleasant. Its actually a bit short, but all I can remember on the subject ATM.

http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-a ... stosterone



alana
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25 Mar 2010, 5:41 pm

Apple_in_my_Eye wrote:
Interesting article. Thought I add this one:

http://www.ravenkaldera.org/activism/feminist.html

It's an account of how testosterone feels, written by a female-to-male transsexual. I've read a few other accounts like this and it's interesting when certain male behaviors suddenly "makes sense" to someone -- the point being that if you're male it can be surprising to realize that someone could be surprised.

There's something vaguely odd that we're all humans but that the experience can vary in these biological ways so much.


yeah thanks that is one of the best articles I have ever read on this because the author is so articulate. wow.