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It is nothing new to say men and women respond in different ways to different experiences. Just look around. From thinking to sleeping, men and women do it their own way. That can be particularly true when measuring sexual arousal.
There has been a lot of research on the subject of sexual arousal. However, in the past it was typically focused on men. Now more studies involving women are coming out. This is thanks to the work of many psychologists and researchers.
A new study, led by Queen University’s Meredith Chivers, said when it comes to sexual responses, men and women are worlds apart.
From adolescence through old age, most men experience sexual desire in the form of sexual thoughts, fantasies, and mental images. And this happens several times a day. In women, sexual desire is very different. Female sexual desire also emerges during adolescence, but there is much more variety and much less predictability in women's responses.
In the study, researchers analyzed 134 studies, published between 1969 and 2007, involving more than 2,500 women and 1,900 men. Participants were asked how they felt after being exposed to various sexual stimuli. This subjective measure of arousal was compared with physiological responses. Those physiological responses were changes in penile erection for men and changes in genital blood flow for women.
They discovered men’s minds and their genitals were very closely linked. Not the same with women. Researchers found that the agreement between women’s minds and their bodies didn’t match as closely as men’s. In some cases, the results from the physiological measurements and their subjective ratings were very different.
We can say this is interesting from a purely, “did you know” standpoint, but this could have a more lasting impact on very real issue. This research may lead to important implications for the treatment of female sexual dysfunction. Researchers have not yet been able to pinpoint the source of the difference, but progress is being made.
Many researchers believe that the difference probably has something to do with simple human anatomy. With male genitals, arousal is simply easier to notice than female genital arousal. Men also seem to be more attentive than women to all kinds of physiological signals, not just sexual ones. Right now this is all speculative. There is more research taking place and you can bet there will be more information coming forward telling us once again how different men and women are.
Sources:
American Psychological Association
The Kinsey Institute
Archives of Sexual Behavior
Everyday Health
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