In the News

Exposure to New Experiences Rewarding

Exposure to New Experiences Improves Memory And Could Help Treat Memory Problems

Could this research help explain the Coolidge Effect too? And why we need to keep our intimate relationships rewarding by (1) reinforcing positive, oxytocin-producing contact, and (2) avoiding dopamine fluctuations brought on by sexual satiation?

new rewards...Dr Duzel said: "When we see something new, we see it has a potential for rewarding us in some way. This potential that lies in new things motivates us to explore our environment for rewards. The brain learns that the stimulus, once familiar, has no reward associated with it and so it loses its potential. For this reason, only completely new objects activate the midbrain area and increase our levels of dopamine."

Nose spray lowers stress during spats

marital spatWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A little squirt of a hormone that relaxes women during childbirth and breastfeeding helped lower stress in both men and women who were quarreling, a researcher reported on Tuesday.

[We suggest that you do NOT try this at home, for these reasons.]

Levels of a stress hormone called cortisol dropped significantly in the men and women given oxytocin, Beate Ditzen, a psychologist at Emory University in Atlanta, told the International Congress of Neuroendocrinology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The New Viagra for Women

sex up logoThis article is about nasal spray drugs that act as aphrodisiacs. One mimics dopamine in the brain of women. Given the dangerous long-term effects of dopamine agonists on some Parkinson's patients, we can't help wondering whether the questionable short-term gains of this substance justify its production. The other drug, PT-141, makes rats "want it [sex] constantly," which means it never leads to feelings of wholeness or fulfillment. This is a recipe for crazy behavior.

Reuniting - April 2006 Newsletter

New Lust Drug on the Way

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This article appeared in The Observer, Sunday April 23, 2006. It's not yet clear whether the enticement of PT-141 will promote an addictive reaction. Certainly there is great potential for its abuse as a recreational drug and for blackmarket sales.

Let us spray

lustBilled as libido in an atomiser, PT-141 will finally offer women the chance to turn on their sexual desire as and when they need it. Or so the science says. But there are concerns. Will sex in a spray usher in an age of 'McNookie' - quick easy couplings low on emotional nutrition? Julian Dibbell reports

Spousal spats may harm heart health

By Megan Rauscher (Fri Mar 3, 2006 8:24 AM ET)spat

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The manner in which husbands and wives argue over such hot-button topics such as money, in-laws, and children, may be a factor in their risk of developing coronary atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries of the heart.

In a study of 150 couples, mostly in their 60s, researchers found that women who behaved in a hostile manner during marital disputes were more likely to have atherosclerosis, especially if their husbands were also hostile.

Dopamine provides shopper's high

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eager shopper

Parallels to sex?

ATLANTA, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The pleasure of shopping is chemical -- and fleeting -- it's all about the means and not the ends, say U.S. scientists.

The surge of excitement from shopping involves dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure. As shoppers first see a product and then consider buying it -- the anticipation rather than the buying itself -- discharges the chemical and drives the process, reported the Sunday Telegraph.

However, this surge of pleasure drops sharply as soon as the product has been bought, which can result in a sense of let-down -- or "buyer's remorse" -- shortly afterwards.

African Sex Wisdom

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resting loversA CLOSE friend recently asked me the extent to which the adage "too much of anything is dangerous" is true. I just couldn't see any sense in his query and simply told him that it was just the way it was. But he insisted and asked, "I mean, is its application only limited to specific things? Does it really apply to sex?"

The buddy's questions sent me dig out the ugly part of the game I had cherished so much...

All other animals stick to the natural cause of sex and, among them, sex takes place only at certain times of the year. In humans, however, most sexual activity is frivolous - for pleasure - and can be indulged in all year round, which is clearly an excess. Our hedonistic behaviour constantly bombards us with erotic images, conveying messages that an active sex life is vital to one's physical health, sanity, and happiness. As a result, sexual pleasure has increasingly become one of the false gods worshipped by modern society.

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