![]() ![]() Never before had the American public seen its private sexual behavior become the focus of scientific scrutiny on such a large scale. The Kinsey Institute has continued as a research site of important psychological studies for decades.Īt the time, the Kinsey reports were quite sensational. In 1947, Alfred Kinsey established The Kinsey Institute for Research, Sex, Gender and Reproduction at Indiana University, shown here in 2011. While this is not the case for humans, there is considerable evidence that sexual motivation in humans varies as a function of circulating testosterone levels (Bhasin, Enzlin, Coviello, & Basson, 2007 Carter, 1992 Sherwin, 1988).įigure 3. ![]() For example, many animals show no sign of sexual motivation in the absence of the appropriate combination of sex hormones from their gonads. Given the hypothalamus’s role in endocrine function, it is not surprising that hormones secreted by the endocrine system also play important roles in sexual motivation and behavior. Moreover, disorders that involve abnormal hypothalamic function are often associated with hypogonadism (reduced function of the gonads) and reduced sexual function (e.g., Prader-Willi syndrome). The worldwide popularity of drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction (Conrad, 2005) speaks to the fact that sexual motivation and the ability to engage in sexual behavior can also be dissociated in humans. In contrast, the amygdala and nucleus accumbens are involved in motivation for sexual behavior, but they do not affect the ability to engage in it.Īlthough human sexual behavior is much more complex than that seen in rats, some parallels between animals and humans can be drawn from this research. The medial preoptic area, an area of the hypothalamus, is involved in the ability to engage in sexual behavior, but it does not affect sexual motivation. Similar dissociations of sexual motivation and sexual ability have also been observed in the female rat (Becker, Rudick, & Jenkins, 2001 Jenkins & Becker, 2001).įigure 2. Damage to these areas results in a decreased motivation to engage in sexual behavior, while leaving the ability to do so intact (Figure 2) (Everett, 1990). This suggests that the ability to engage in sexual behavior and the motivation to do so may be mediated by neural systems distinct from one another.Īnimal research suggests that limbic system structures such as the amygdala and nucleus accumbens are especially important for sexual motivation. Surprisingly, medial preoptic lesions do not change how hard a male rat is willing to work to gain access to a sexually receptive female (Figure 1). In fact, lesions to an area of the hypothalamus called the medial preoptic area completely disrupt a male rat’s ability to engage in sexual behavior. As you’ve learned, the hypothalamus plays an important role in motivated behaviors, and sex is no exception. Much of what we know about the physiological mechanisms that underlie sexual behavior and motivation comes from animal research. Physiological Mechanisms of Sexual Behavior and Motivation ![]() This section will close with a discussion of issues related to gender and sexual orientation. This section provides an overview of research that has been conducted on human sexual behavior and motivation. Sexual behavior in humans, however, involves much more than reproduction. From an evolutionary perspective, the reason is obvious-perpetuation of the species. Like food, sex is an important part of our lives. A male rat that cannot engage in sexual behavior still seeks receptive females, suggesting that the ability to engage in sexual behavior and the motivation to do so are mediated by different systems in the brain. ![]()
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