Physiologic Differentiation of Sexual Arousal and Anxiety

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
In an attempt to specify physiologically the emotional states of sexual arousal and anxiety occurring independently and/or simultaneously, male subjects were shown two erotic movies (one heterosexual and one male homosexual) and a suspense movie, while pupil size, heart rate and plasma 17-hydroxycorticosteroid levels were recorded. The data indicated that pupil dilation may be used to discriminate between sexual arousal and more generalized arousal states. In most cases, sexual arousal and anxiety were not evidenced in the same individual at the same time. There were some suggestive data that sexual arousal sensitizes an individual to the specific type of stimulus which elicited the arousal. Further study of these phenomena was proposed.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: