5 myths about sex destroyed by science

Our culture imposes certain criteria that order the areas in which we develop. This also implies our sexual behavior and practices, which have certain rituals, liturgies and attitudes that are accepted. Even culture is in charge of telling us what we should like, and what not.

5 myths about sex that were disproved by science

Our conceptions about love and the sexuality There are many, some have scientific support, but others are, rather, myths and beliefs.

However, it seems that neuroscience has managed to unmask some popular legends about sex, and in this article we are going to detail them. Myths about sex, take cover!

1. Men are genetically predisposed to cheating

It is very recurrent to speak of the "nature" of behavior, but, in reality, the vast majority of our attitudes and behaviors are based on what we consider culturally correct or acceptable.

This does not mean that there are certain genetic predispositions to develop certain attitudes, responses or behaviors (as suggested by the Coolidge effect

), but in no case can we speak of a mechanism between genetic expression and behavior, In the case of infidelity, it should be noted that genetic makeup does not drive our sexual behavior, although it does predispose us to some inclinations and attitudes. However, the role played by the frontal lobes, which regulate judgment and decision-making, are the ones that have the greatest influence when it comes to “deciding” to be unfaithful or not.

2. Erotic movies only stimulate men

The evidence in neuroscience confirms that our brain is turned on by porn: when faced with an image with sexual content, the brain's response is between 200 and 300% more intense than before any other type of stimulus.

This does not happen only in the male brain, but also in the feminine. However, there are some differences in brain activation zones between the sexes. But what is clear is that erotic images stimulate both sexes in a very similar way.

3. Love and hate are antagonistic emotions

It is often thought that love and hate are antagonistic feelings; opposites. The experiments carried out with neural images showed that, when a person was stimulated with elements that caused hatred, certain brain regions were activated, some of which are exactly the same as those activated when we feel love.

4. Men seek sex and women love

It is a myth as widespread as it is stereotyped. The myth segregates the intentions and expectations of each sex according to closed and mechanical categories: each sex wants something different. At the level of neurocerebral exploration, we can see that there is great interpersonal variability regardless of gender.

What's more, there are no asymmetries between the sexes in the region of the brain that is activated when we fall in love. One more piece of information: surveys of single people of both sexes reveal that both women and men express the same reasons for having a sporadic sexual relationship.

5. Love is an emotion

It is quite common to see how love is categorized within the group of emotions, such as anger or surprise. But if you have ever been in love with someone, you will have noticed that this feeling is not as temporary as those mentioned before. The neuroscience community has shown that love acts as a "unit" in terms of brain activation, just like we have for sex or appetite.

The romantic love is an intense and bewildering physiological experimentation that not only helps us to relate and reproduce, but also paves the way to be able to enjoy the relationship with other people in general. Thus, it seems that love has been an evolutionarily efficient element in our species.