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Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

[NSFW] If chemical reaction is what causes arousal why is it not the same for everyone?

Asked by Hypocrisy_Central (26879points) June 26th, 2014

If sexual arousal is supposedly triggered by chemical reaction such as pheromones, dopamine, etc. why is it not the same for everyone? One man sees a woman in a short skirt with shapely legs he becomes aroused, while another man could care less, but if that same woman passed wearing a particular perfume then he is aroused; not by how she look but how she smells. Another man is aroused because he sees a woman with large breasts wearing a snug sweater, yet another man is on a nude beach with throngs of naked women and does not become aroused. A woman sees a guy shirtless and get aroused, her friend doesn’t notice and it has no affect on her, but she is aroused because of what tattoos he has and/or where he has them, has hair on his chest, or he has a voice in a certain tonal range, etc. If it is purely a chemical reaction that is the catalyst or aphrodisiac, should it not affect every human the same way as if it were arsenic, or Novocain?

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7 Answers

El_Cadejo's avatar

The same reason I can think something tastes great and you think it tastes horrible. Taste comes from chemical reactions as well, it’s a matter of how we as individuals perceive those reactions and which ones we enjoy.

Berserker's avatar

If it is a reaction, then the reaction and the process itself and shit is all the same, even if it’s triggered by different situations/factors. It all leads to the same thing though, and that which leads to it is probably found on the same spectrum. (if it is a chemical reaction and nothing more, I mean)

BhacSsylan's avatar

Love is a chemical reaction. But it’s literally trillions of different chemical reactions, all controlled by a different set of reactions, all of which are controlled by genes whose effects and expression are modified by another set of internal and external factors. Thinking that would lead to one single result is a little naive.

Also, even arsenic and Novocain do not effect people everyone the same way. You can be insensitive to Novocain (I was as a kid. Getting fillings was terrible. Luckily it seems to have changed over time), or require different doses. And if you give someone enough arsenic, sure, it’ll kill them, but there’s actually a range over which only a fraction of people would die from it. Most poisons (and most other substances) have an ‘LD50’ value, which is the amount that would be needed to kill 50% of a population. Arsenic Trioxide has a rating of 14 mg/kg. So if you were to feed me and someone else about my size about a gram of Arsenic Trioxide, chances are only one of us would die (though I’m sure the other wouldn’t appreciate the experience).

Same is true of addictions, too. While some substances are more or less addictive, any given substance may or may not cause addiction in a given person. Some people can try heroin and never get addicted (note: not a safe bet to try), while others are trapped by it. Some people can quit nicotine cold turkey, while others take years and never succeed at kicking it. And some people can give up coffee without a problem, while others end up with week-long migraines. It’s all complicated.

So, basically, if single substances can have such a difference in the way they act on people, no, it’s not at all strange that love, an emotion probably involving a dozen different neurotransmitters acting on potentially hundreds of different proteins, varies from person to person.

BhacSsylan's avatar

Dangit, ‘do not affect people the same way’, not effect. Neither of them bring people into being >.<

CWMcCall's avatar

Being selective to certain qualities of the opposite sex ensures genetic diversity within the species. If all men were attracted to blond bombshells than all offspring would have the same genetic makeup and along comes a particularly nasty virus that targets the genes of blond bombshell offspring and that species quickly goes extinct.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@BhacSsylan You can be insensitive to Novocain (I was as a kid. Getting fillings was terrible. Luckily it seems to have changed over time), or require different doses.
Is that to say that for whatever reason, a man who is ready to cream his BVDs because he sees a woman filling out a snug sweater with her chest is getting more or a larger dose of whatever from his body, mind, brain, etc. than a man who can work a show in Vegas with throngs of women walking to and fro all day in thongs, heels, and bare breasts and see them as no more arousing than a used vacuum cleaner? If that is the case, why would that be? And if he had no control over what ”dose” of whatever that got him aroused can he really be blamed if he acts on his urges in an unlawful way, he would just be a victim of his hormones, so to speak?

Dan_Lyons's avatar

It is not the same for everyone because we are all unique individuals with different chemistries.

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