Monkey Study Shows Men Think Hard About Sex

IOL ^ | 1-29-2004

[blam]

Monkey study shows men think hard about sex

January 29 2004 at 06:09AM

Washington - Some people may joke that men don't think with their heads when it comes to sex, but a study in monkeys suggests the brain plays a significant role in the decision to mate, researchers reported on Wednesday.

Brain scans of tiny marmoset monkeys show a lot of thought goes into choosing mates, the team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison said.

They used functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI, to look at the brain functions of the Brazilian monkeys. Writing in the Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, they said the brains became busy when the monkeys smelled sexy scents.

"We were surprised to observe high levels of neural activity in areas of the brain important for decision-making, as well as in purely sexual arousal areas, in response to olfactory cues," psychology professor Charles Snowdon said in a statement.

"Lighting up far more brightly than we expected were areas associated with decision-making and memory, emotional processing and reward, and cognitive control."

Like people, common marmosets live in family groups and do not mate freely with one another. They must make careful choices.

Snowdon's team studied four male marmosets, offering them gland secretion samples from females at or close to ovulation. They also let the monkeys smell samples from females whose ovaries had been removed, and who therefore were not fertile and, presumably, not sexy.

The researchers were surprised to see how much more of the animals' brain lit up when they smelled the samples from fertile females - including areas of complex, cognitive reasoning.

"This is the first time anyone has imaged an awake nonhuman primate in response to emotionally arousing stimuli. It is also the first link between external sexual odours and the internal sexual arousal system," Snowdon said. "This opens up a whole new field of research possibilities."

He said the marmoset data corresponded surprisingly closely to human fMRI studies.

[blam]

I don't know any guy who hasn't 'made a monkey' of himself over sex.

[Trampled by Lambs]

So many wisecracks, so little time....

[Johnny_Cipher]

Some people may joke that men don't think with their heads when it comes to sex, but a study in monkeys suggests the brain plays a significant role in the decision to mate, researchers reported on Wednesday.

And US taxpayers paid just how much to be told essentially "The brain is the body's largest sex organ"?

[martin_fierro]

Monkey Study Shows Men Think Hard About Sex

Nah. Too easy.

[Mr. Jeeves]

We don't overwork all those brain cells in college and at the office just for the sake of the exercise - it's so our increased standard of living will help us fulfill our biological destiny.

[Sabertooth]

Another Michael Jackson thread?

[mtbopfuyn]

Proves monkeys are more evolved than man.

[BenLurkin]

Monkey Study Shows Men Think Hard About Sex

As if the women DON'T think 'hard'.

[EggsAckley]

Heheheheh! Fessin' up, blam?

~</;o)

[CSM]

Looks like a topic that you would be interested in!

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

the brain plays a significant role in the decision to mate

Let's see how smart those monkeys are after eight shot of Tequila and a six-pack of beer.

[cjshapi]

A clear thinking brain should serve you well in future endeavors!

[Enterprise]

Yeah, this thread could easily reach the thousands. I'll just sit it out for a while.

[boris]

"And US taxpayers paid just how much to be told essentially 'The brain is the body's largest sex organ'?"

"The brain is my second-favorite organ."--Woody Allen

[LiteKeeper]

INTREP - Since "man" and "monkey" are categorically different, how does any correlation between the two, especially in the realm of reasoning and brain action, apply?

Monkey shines.

[blam]

"As if the women DON'T think 'hard'."

Women scheme to take advantage of all that male thinking.

[martin_fierro]

And all these years I thought that was his right fist.

[Jonah Hex]

No banana jokes from me, uh uh, wouldn't be prudent...

[blam]

"Heheheheh! Fessin' up, blam? "

Not my fault, my brain made me do it.

[martin_fierro]

Monkey Study Shows Men Think DRINK Hard About Sex