[News] One reason why humans are special and unique: We masturbate. A lot

[Moontanman]

One reason why humans are special and unique: We masturbate. A lot

 

There must be something in the water here in Lanesboro, Minnesota, because last night I dreamt of an encounter with a very muscular African-American centaur, an orgiastic experience with – gasp – drunken members of the opposite sex and (as if that weren’t enough) then being asked by my hostess to wear a white wedding dress while giving a scientific keynote presentation. “Does it make me look too feminine?” “Not at all,” she assured me, “it’s a man’s dress.”

 

Bering in Mind: One reason why humans are special and unique: We masturbate. A lot

[Pyrotex]

Enjoyable article. Lots to think about.

[C1ay]

We're not alone in that though...

 

Animal sexual behaviour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bonobos and many others come to mind....

[philiplaos]

We're not alone in that though...

 

Animal sexual behaviour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bonobos and many others come to mind....

 

Right! I visited a zoo in Barcelona a few years ago and was suprised to see a male baboon mastubating. I didn't know they did that. Made me feel a bit better.

 

:rolleyes:

[Boerseun]

Interesting article. It does seem, however, that some humans are more "special and unique" than others, though... :rolleyes:

[Pyrotex]

You guys may be missing the point of the article.

It is not talking about "fiddling with one's naughty bits".

It is talking about "fiddling to the point of actual ejaculation".

Now, THAT may indeed be very rare in the animal kingdom as claimed.

[philiplaos]

Why would any human or animal 'fiddle' for any length of time if it didn't lead to actual ejaculation? The baboon I saw in the zoo wasn't merely 'fiddling' anyway: He was giving it a real hard pulling for a sustained length of time. I can't say how it ended however as I didn't stay around that long.

 

:rolleyes:

[Pyrotex]

Why would any human or animal 'fiddle' for any length of time if it didn't lead to actual ejaculation? ... I can't say how it ended however as I didn't stay around that long.

Let me get this straight.

You're asking for the "reason" that a non-reasoning animal use as an "excuse" for not fiddling to ejaculation?

I'm missing something here. :rolleyes:

What if, just for the sake of argument, we posit that ejaculation occurs directly as the result of certain pheromone signals and socio-sexual signals proffered by a female. The male responds automatically as would, say, a millipede.

Now, erections might be caused by a passing whiff of fragrance, or the result of hormonal surges, and feel pleasant to fiddle with, but without the full panoply of darwinian chemo/social triggers, ejaculation (normally) does not occur.

The male chimpanzee doesn't "do" sex for "reasons".

 

"Golly gee, Simpy, I know it's not your rutting season, but since we're in this new enclosure, this would actually be a favorable time to mate, especially given the fact that Brutus over there is a known mate-beater. And if you say no, I'll just stand over here and do a solo act so you'll know what you're missing!"

 

Noooo.... I don't think he as a "reason" at all.

[philiplaos]

Let me get this straight. You're asking for the "reason" that a non-reasoning animal use as an "excuse" for not fiddling to ejaculation?

I'm missing something here. :rolleyes:

 

 

Noooo.... I don't think he as a "reason" at all.

 

Now, I'm missing something! Animals may be non-reasoning in your view, since they don't have language to express their reasons for doing things. However, they are very aware of cause and effect. Their actions have a purpose and therefore a reason.

 

Not correct?

 

The other day, my dog came and sat next to me as he often does. Then, he did something he'd never done before. He moved his body into a strange position so his head was directly in front of mine and curled up the side of his lip to expose the upper left side of his teeth to my view. Made a very strange expression, and one I'd never seen before.

 

Why did he do that? What was the reason?

 

After a while, I looked at his teeth and saw that there was a stone lodged in between two of his teeth. I put in my hand and removed the stone. He then licked the side of my face twice and bounded off to carry on with his day.

[Vox]

So your assumption of this specific uniqueness is now abolished?

 

Animal sexual behaviour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[C1ay]

So your assumption of this specific uniqueness is now abolished?

 

Animal sexual behaviour - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Didn't read the thread first huh? That link was posted several posts ago...

[HydrogenBond]

An animal reacts to the environment using sensory signals. Masturbation steps outside that loop and makes more use of the imagination to help generate an internal source for the same comparable signals. In a more traditional sense, sensory cues trigger sexual behavior. To complete the deed, the external source (other person) plays a role in the sensory feedback. With masturbation, humans can cut some or all of the external source and feedback and still complete the deed via the imagination.

 

With this foundation, which anyone can do, one can learn to complete other tasks in life without needing external sensory support and feedback. One does not need to be taught by others all the time, like an animal copying through external sensory input. This is like group edu-sex. One can also mastur-mind to find a solution or discover new things.

 

This humble foundation is not all that big a deal, since even a ape can do it. It is more about other things build upon this foundation. The reward at the end, an endorphin buzz, is also the reward for " eureka "; lower level.

[CraigD]

From Bering’s sciam blog:

Go on, put this article aside, take a five minute break and put my challenge to the test (don’t forget to close your office door if you’re reading this at work): Just try to masturbate successfully—that is, to orgasmic completion—without casting some erotic representational target in your mind’s eye. Instead, clear your mind entirely, or think of, I don’t know, an enormous blank canvass hanging in an art gallery. And of course no porn or helpful naked co-workers are permitted for this task either.

 

How’d it go? Do you see the impossibility of it?

I think research psychologist Jesse Bering misuses the word impossiblity, when he should instead use rarity.

 

Though its practice (of which I have only a superficial personal experience) is uncommon, and usually doesn’t involves only arousal, not orgasm, I’m pretty sure tantric yoga and similar disciplines teach their practitioners the techniques necessary to succeed at Bering’s challenge.

 

The human mind is amazingly versatile in its ability to invoke physiological responses with atypical mental images and states. It’s imprudent, I think, to assert that anything physically possible cannot possibly be invoked with any kind of mental image or state.

With masturbation, humans can cut some or all of the external source and feedback and still complete the deed via the imagination.

 

With this foundation, which anyone can do, one can learn to complete other tasks in life without needing external sensory support and feedback.

This makes pretty compelling sense to me, especially when I consider the common metaphorical use of the concept of masturbation. Engaging in a mental activity with no immediate usefulness, such as mathematical or philosophical speculation, is commonly called “mental masturbation”, and folk who commonly engage in it quick in my experience to accept the aptness of the metaphor.