Comments on: Desire in Slow Motion http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/09/10/desire-in-slow-motion/ A blog about life, past and future. Written by DISCOVER contributing editor and columnist Carl Zimmer. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:41:26 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Gustaf http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/09/10/desire-in-slow-motion/comment-page-1/#comment-26057 Gustaf Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:03:05 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/09/10/desire-in-slow-motion/#comment-26057 Interesting, but it's hard to tell what desire looks like when there's nothing to compare it against. Wouldn't you see some of this activity when the subject is looking at an average-looking woman, or a man? Interesting, but it’s hard to tell what desire looks like when there’s nothing to compare it against. Wouldn’t you see some of this activity when the subject is looking at an average-looking woman, or a man?

]]> By: James V. Kohl http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/09/10/desire-in-slow-motion/comment-page-1/#comment-26047 James V. Kohl Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:14:27 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/09/10/desire-in-slow-motion/#comment-26047 "...[A] decision emerged less than 0.2 second after a picture was viewed." [But] "...subjects needed about 0.4 second to become aware of whether a person looked desirable or not and press a button." These two statements suggest that the response has been conditioned to occur. If the response is sexually dimorphic the stimulus that conditions it must be sexually dimorphic and be processed by a sexually dimorphic sensory system. Predictably, women would respond somewhat differently. Has anyone checked? Sexual dimorphism in the mammalian olfactory system is one means by which the decision, a subsequent conscious act, and awareness can be linked. I don't know of any sexual dimorphism in the visual system that provides the required gene-cell-tissue-organ-organ system link from the stimulus to the choice and the behavior. It would be interesting to see what might happen when an olfactory stimulus is paired with the picture presentation in men and in women. “…[A] decision emerged less than 0.2 second after a picture was viewed.” [But] “…subjects needed about 0.4 second to become aware of whether a person looked desirable or not and press a button.”

These two statements suggest that the response has been conditioned to occur. If the response is sexually dimorphic the stimulus that conditions it must be sexually dimorphic and be processed by a sexually dimorphic sensory system. Predictably, women would respond somewhat differently. Has anyone checked? Sexual dimorphism in the mammalian olfactory system is one means by which the decision, a subsequent conscious act, and awareness can be linked. I don’t know of any sexual dimorphism in the visual system that provides the required gene-cell-tissue-organ-organ system link from the stimulus to the choice and the behavior.

It would be interesting to see what might happen when an olfactory stimulus is paired with the picture presentation in men and in women.

]]> By: Frank Tuma http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/09/10/desire-in-slow-motion/comment-page-1/#comment-26035 Frank Tuma Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:07:26 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/loom/2009/09/10/desire-in-slow-motion/#comment-26035 Very interesting, Has this been done to a womens brain when looking at a man? thanks Frank Very interesting, Has this been done to a womens brain when looking at a man?
thanks
Frank

]]>