During the next 40 years, you will eat about 20 tons of food. If you chose to increase your daily intake by just .01 of an ounce more than required for your energy needs, you would gain 24 pounds (Martin Et al., 1991). The Hypothalamus monitors levels of the body’sContinue Reading
A person begins to sneeze after seeing a flower on a restaurant table not realizing the flower is made of plastic. Experiences like this hint that stress is not the only psychological influence on a body’s ailments. Simple classical conditioning may also influence our body. If conditioning (seeing the flower)Continue Reading
Our bodies respond to stress with a two-prong system. The first system, the sympathetic nervous system, prompts the release of the stress hormones Epinephrine and Norepinephrine from nerve endings in the inner part of the Adrenal glands. The second system is the Cerebral Cortex, which works through the Hypothalamus andContinue Reading
Males like looking at pornography – a seemingly pleasurable experience. Naked women are interesting and arousing. When they see sexual images it stimulates sexual arousal. When there is a male performer in the scene the viewer can vicariously participate in the sexual act. If self-arousal is used while viewing pornographyContinue Reading
Norepinephrine, also known as noradrenaline, is the chemical cousin of Dopamine. It is important in sexual arousal and sexual memory and is similar to Epinephrine (or Adrenaline). It is found throughout the brain and can act as a stress hormone, directing response to such things as flight, fear, anxiety, panic,Continue Reading
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in the mesolimbic system of our brain that controls all natural reinforcing behaviors such as learning, eating, drinking, pleasure, motivation and sexual activity. It is also the primary neurotransmitter that most addictive drugs are known to release. Dopamine plays an important role in reinforcement andContinue Reading
Oxytocin (OXT) and Arginine Vasopressin (AVP) are hormones that are released from the posterior pituitary gland in the brain. They are released during sexual activity and in large quantities during orgasm. They are implicated in giving the experience a quality of satisfaction. It is also an important component of theContinue Reading
Serotonin is the brain chemical involved in mood disorders, anxiety, body temperature, appetite, and emotional euphoria. Low levels of Serotonin in women may make them more likely to become depressed while low levels of Serotonin in men is more likely to make them impulsive and aggressive. Increasing the level ofContinue Reading
The word “hormone” finds its root origin within the ancient Greek work “horman” meaning to impel or set in motion, or to excite and stimulate. Hormones are chemical substances secreted into the blood stream by special glands located throughout our body, and comprise the complex endocrine system. Hormones are essentialContinue Reading
Our behavior is not solely a product of our brain and nervous system. The endocrine glands serve as a great communication system of the body. The Endocrine System is comprised of glands that pour chemicals directly into the blood stream or lymph system. These chemicals called hormones are carried throughoutContinue Reading