Posted on 10/06/2003 4:07:01 PM PDT by AntiGuv
MONDAY, Oct. 6 (HealthDayNews) -- The origins of sexual orientation may be evident in the blink of an eye.
In what is the first study to show an apparent link between a non-learned trait and sexual orientation, British researchers have discovered the way peoples' eyes respond to sudden loud noises may signal differences between heterosexual and homosexual men and women that were developed before birth.
The authors, whose study appears in the October issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, say about 4 percent of men and 3 percent of women are gay. Scientists have long sought to determine whether sexuality is learned or biological.
"We have several decades of research which suggests rather strongly that human sexual orientation is to some degree biologically determined," says study author Qazi Rahman, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of East London. "The problem with those types of studies is that we can't disentangle the effects of learning."
The question then became, "What kind of task could be used that is not influenced by learning or socialization?" The answer came in human startle responses, which are involuntary and instinctual.
Specifically, Rahman and his colleagues decided to use pre-pulse inhibition (PPI). When humans hear a sudden noise, they respond by blinking. If that loud noise is preceded by a quieter noise (the pre-pulse), the response to the second, loud noise is weaker. In other words, it is inhibited.
The researchers compared responses to a loud noise both alone and after a quieter noise to see what the degree of inhibition was. Participants were 59 gay and straight men and women.
In the heterosexual women, the PPI averaged 13 percent and, in heterosexual men, 40 percent.
Lesbians, however, had a PPI of 33 percent, closer to the straight-man end of the spectrum, while gay men averaged 32 percent, slightly lower than that of straight men but not statistically significant.
The findings are consistent with other studies, which have found that certain traits in lesbians are highly "masculinized," while the same traits in gay men are almost the same as in straight men.
While it's difficult to make generalizations about gay behavior on the basis of these findings (for example, "all gay male thinking is like that of women"), it is possible to build a case for the origins of sexuality, the authors say.
"On the basis of these results and in conjunction with the bulk of the literature in the last three decades or so, the evidence points to some prenatal factor or factors [in determining sexual preference]," Rahman says.
The findings could have implications for a number of social issues.
"Actual sexual orientation and sex-related research is now being accepted as a legitimate national investment in terms of research," Rahman says. "We have problems with STDs [sexually transmitted diseases]. Understanding sexual behavior is clearly important to that."
The findings may also help illuminate sex differences in mental health issues. "Although homosexuality per se is not related to psychiatric problems, on those occasions that gays and lesbians do present with psychiatric problems, they often show disorders that are typical of the opposite sex," Rahman says. Gay men, for example, may be more likely to suffer depression, anxiety and eating disorders than their straight counterparts, while lesbians may be more vulnerable to substance abuse than heterosexual women.
"Maybe having an understanding of brain basis of sexual orientation in healthy individuals may give us some clues in what is going wrong in the brain circuitry underlying certain psychiatric problems," Rahman says. "In the future, we may be able to tailor treatments more specifically."
It's important not to draw too many generalizations. "It's not that the gay brain is like the heterosexual brain of the opposite sex. It seems to be a mosaic of male and female typical traits," Rahman says. "Because we're looking at humans, thing are always more complicated that you would expect."
>>>I want to see some sources here. Especially that whole "wildly promiscuous" part. Personally, I think they( and they know who they are) are wildly without women, or joy, or good purpose. <<<
Read some of the links scripter has. It's where I've read it. It's a rather well known thing. I have to run out the door this AM so I can't research it for you, I would like to have such links at my fingertips but don't.
So what you're really pissed off about are the actions of a vocal and shrill minority, right?
What part of "consenting adults" includes children. Why is it that the average social conservative is incapable of telling the difference between a consenting adult and a child?
No, the fact of the matter is that you are generalizing about entire group of people that span difference races, religions, cultures and both genders. Most do leave you alone. There is no difference between most of the in-your-face gays and those heterosexuals who make it everyone's business who they're sleeping with. Both of those are in-our-face with their sexuality and both are wrong.
Yes i agree especially if they find men threatening. I have observed women seek lesbian liasions as refuge from men if they have been ill treated. I have never seen a man seek the refuge of homosexuality because a woman was nasty to him. Men usually either withdraw for a while to recover or go straight back to seek the comfort of another woman. Nowadays, we have this Godawful trend whereby young girls think it's cool to go Lesbo temporarily....women for sure have a stronger inclination towards pansexuality than men. I don't even buy the notion of bisexuality in men. A bisexual man to me is a repressed queer.
I must have missed something somewhere... In post 132 you said:
Who the heck are the "experts"; and I don't want to know how to become one. And the "pro-gay" experts, well.. "Environment", "Nurture", puleeeeeze. OK, seriously now, Does environment determine what you feel?To answer your first question I pointed you to the links in post 78. For your "Environment...," which is key to the issue of homosexuality, the same links in post 78 support what I previously said.
Then you asked "seriously now, Does environment determine what you feel?", and again, the links in post 78 would answer your question.
...what I'm saying is to you and pram yeah I had that conversation: in 1979. Yes I am that old. heh.
I'm not sure to what conversation you're referring. In 1979 I had already been propositioned by quite a few homosexuals, almost all of them many, many times. So I'm that old myself.
I guess what I'm saying is, if you have a question about anything we've talked about that you don't believe has been answered, please ask it again and I'll see what I can do. I did see your post 146, and that helps me to better understand from where you're coming... thanks.
Here's a reference you might find informative from What Causes Homosexual Desire and Can It Be Changed?
4) Early homosexual experiences influence adult patterns of behavior
In the 1980s, scholars (12) examined the early Kinsey data to determine whether or not childhood sexual experiences predicted adult behavior. The results were significant: Homosexual experience in the early year, particularly if it was one's first sexual experience - was a strong predictor of adult homosexual behavior, both for males and females. A similar pattern appeared in the 1970 Kinsey Institute (4) study: there was a strong relationship between those whose first experience was homosexual and those who practiced homosexuality in later life. In the FRI study (5) two-thirds of the boys whose first experience was homosexual engaged in homosexual behavior as adults; 95% of those whose first experience was heterosexual were likewise heterosexual in their adult behavior. A similarly progressive pattern of sexual behavior was reported for females.
Geez, JR. You're a regular Renaissance Man.
Really all you need is a kid who has no strong male role model, no positive masculine affirmation. He'll already be uncomfortable in or unsure of his own masculinity. If there's a domineering, emasculating Mother ("Mother's gonna keep you right here under her wing. She won't let you fly, but she might let you sing"), there's an even greater chance the kid grows up queer. Any sexual abuse, particularly same sex, can seal the deal.
The guy will learn to eroticize masculine traits in other men, when what he really needs is to feel those traits in himself. It's sexual cannibalism: they are "eating" masculinity from other men.
There is no reason to assume, as this researcher has done, that lesbianism and male homosexuality are two sides of the same coin. They may very well be caused by completely different things.
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