Posted on 05/09/2006 9:28:23 AM PDT by TexCon
Lesbians' brains react differently to sex hormones than those of heterosexual women, new research indicates.
That's in line with an earlier study that had indicated gay men's brain responses were different from straight men - though the difference for men was more pronounced than has now been found in women.
Lesbians' brains reacted somewhat, though not completely, like those of heterosexual men, a team of Swedish researchers said in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
A year ago, the same group reported findings for gay men that showed their brain response to hormones was similar to that of heterosexual women.
In both cases the findings add weight to the idea that homosexuality has a physical basis and is not learned behavior.
"It shows sexual orientation may very well have a different basis between men and women ... this is not just a mirror image situation," said Sandra Witelson, an expert on brain anatomy and sexual orientation at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
"The important thing is to be open to the likely situation that there are biological factors that contribute to sexual orientation," added Witelson, who was not part of the research team.
The research team led by Ivanka Savic at the Stockholm Brain Institute had volunteers sniff chemicals derived from male and female sex hormones. These chemicals are thought to be pheromones - molecules known to trigger responses such as defense and sex in many animals.
Whether humans respond to pheromones has been debated, although in 2000 American researchers reported finding a gene that they believe directs a human pheromone receptor in the nose.
The same team reported last year on a comparison of the response of male homosexuals to heterosexual men and women. They found that the brains of gay men reacted more like those of women than of straight men.
The new study shows a similar, but weaker, relationship between the response of lesbians and straight men.
Heterosexual women found the male and female pheromones about equally pleasant, while straight men and lesbians liked the female pheromone more than the male one. Men and lesbians also found the male hormone more irritating than the female one, while straight women were more likely to be irritated by the female hormone than the male one.
All three groups rated the male hormone more familiar than the female one. Straight women found both hormones about equal in intensity, while lesbians and straight men found the male hormone more intense than the female one.
The brains of all three groups were scanned when sniffing male and female hormones and a set of four ordinary odors. Ordinary odors were processed in the brain circuits associated with smell in all the volunteers.
In heterosexual males the male hormone was processed in the scent area but the female hormone was processed in the hypothalamus, which is related to sexual stimulation. In straight women the sexual area of the brain responded to the male hormone while the female hormone was perceived by the scent area.
In lesbians, both male and female hormones were processed the same, in the basic odor processing circuits, Savic and her team reported.
Each of the three groups of subjects included 12 healthy, unmedicated, right-handed and HIV-negative individuals.
The research was funded by the Swedish Medical Research Council, Karolinska Institute and the Wallenberg Foundation.
05/08/06 17:01 EDT
I will say that reliability should be crucial here. Three stratified groups of only 12 individuals each.
Skinner and Pavlov would disagree, but I completely hear ya.
How does this help to explain those who are bi-sexual?
Can they quantify, with just 36 people, whether what they observe is caused by lesbianism or is the effect of it?
That said, if true, this is just more proof that I am a lesbian trapped in a man's body. LOL
This is not rocket science. A very tiny percentage of people are born with mixed up X & Y genes. They have a cross to bear just like someone with any other birth defect. However, the VAST MAJORITY of gay people are simply at the feeding frenzie banquet of "If it feels good do it."
Did you place the story in the "Smoky Backroom"?
and you would know this because....?
Study Suggests Difference Between Lesbians' Brains
Actually, false headline; should be:
"It shows sexual orientation may very well have a different basis between men and women ... this is not just a mirror image situation," said Sandra Witelson, an expert on brain anatomy and sexual orientation at the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.
This is umpteenth time I have heard of this news propaganda -probably, the fifth time I have seen it posted on FR. I note that this "research" premised in voodoo science is commented on favorably by a renowned expert on the fallacy of an innate "sexual orientation" separate from the physical reality of sexual organs. Sandra Witelson, the "sexual orientation" expert, states: "It shows sexual orientation may very well have a different basis between men and women..."
I state that Sandra Witelson's statement objectively by default proves that this "expert" knows there exists no scientifically identified and or proved basis with which to claim an innate "sexual orientation" separate from the physical reality of sexual organs exists let alone claim such a brain exists or even shockingly research such nonexistent things and correlate their supposed reactions to stimuli!
Without an innate "sexual orientation" separate from the physical reality of sexual organs any research such as this can only be legitimately premised in Behavioral Psychology with any reactions studied and correlated to actual observed and or documented practiced behaviors and or activities.
Could one imagine if Pavlov conducted his research with the false premise that within the dog population there exists an innate "salivation orientation" separate from the digestive organs? What if Pavlov assumed as well that there were "Salivator Brains"?
ROTFLMAO
Simply put, this is delusional research for the delusional...
I think that you are putting way too much time and energy into this.
The vast majority of all sexual behavior is voluntary. Men can be hetero all their life, but put them in prison and suddenly they take to screwing other men. As an show of power (that's what rape is) or just for getting ;some', it's voluntary. Outside of prison, it can just be part of breaking taboos or for the thrill. Genes screwed up? Some, but minute in numbers.
Women, after being treated badly by men, or the fear of such bad treatment, decide that they'll 'never be screwed by another man.' Literally and figuratively, it becomes true. One hurt woman finds compassion and sympathy in the arms of another woman who treats them with TLC.
If these women chose their men better (and if more men were better men) we'd see a lot less lebianism. Except in porn, that is. Two naked women are almost always better than one.
I would hope, that for man, whether to act on an impulse or not, initially, involves a conscious decision.
Many of us would be in great trouble if we acted on all of our impulses.
It does seem our society has generally become much more conditioned to acceptance of certain aberrant behaviors.
Haha! That's hilarious.
So true...
It allows for a reliable system of excuses for our actions in society sadly.
A female friend of mine, approximately 40 years old and going through a divorce, decided to start sleeping with other women and is now living full time with a 25 year old woman that she met in a bar.
My questions to her:
Q: Is this your first homosexual experience?
A: Yes.
Q: Why now?
A: Just decided to try something different.
Q: Do you consider yourself a lesbian or bisexual?
A: I'm not sure.
So while there are probably some genetically predisposed homosexuals on the planet (after all, there's a few billion of us), I believe that most people engaging in same gender sex have simply chosen homosexuality.
I heard two of the scents used for the study were fish and Birckenstocks. Lesbian brain had very positive reaction to them.
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