Mental roots of sexual orientation
Encyclopedia
A theory about the development of sexual orientation
and sexual arousal
suggests that these behavior patterns are learned unconsciously from asexual experiences during childhood. The learning begins when the child distinguishes between men and women by the pitch
of their voice. Using conditioning
, the brain develops mental images of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ that consist of features typical to men and women in the child’s surroundings. Throughout childhood, relying on asexual experiences, the brain continues to develop the patterns of sexual behavior around those mental images. After puberty, behavior patterns that were learned from sexual experiences are added to those learned from asexual experiences during childhood .
s, but no correlation was found between the concentration levels of hormones and sexual orientation. Concentration of sex hormones may affect the libido
and other emotional traits such as aggressiveness, but they do not alter sexual orientation .
There is no correlation between the family-structure of the child (mother and father, a single parent, two parents of the same sex) and the sexual orientation of the grown-up child .
Differentiation of some brain structures has been correlated with sexual orientation. For instance, the size of the INAH-3, which is a part of the hypothalamus
, a brain area that among other things controls physical aspects of sexual activity, is larger in gay men than in heterosexual men and women . The hypothalamus also reacts to certain chemical compounds in accordance with the sexual orientation of the individual . The amygdala
, a brain area involved in emotional activities such as fear, was found to be involved in sexual activities . The inner ear
shows sex and sexual orientation differentiations. The cochlea
e of human females are 8-13% shorter than those of males . Otoacoustic emission (OAE), which is sound generated by the cochlea in response to external sound, was found to have sex differences even in newborns, and in adult women such differences correlate with sexual orientation. Auditory evoked potentials, which are presumed to correspond to populations of neurons from the auditory nerve through auditory cortex, showed differences in mean latency
or amplitude
that correlate with sex and with sexual orientation of women .
is an innate learning mechanism that enables animals to develop beneficial behaviors in the environment in which they happen to live. In Pavlov
's experiments, the taste of food is the innate cue that triggers the conditioning process. Events associated with that cue (e.g. a whistle) become new triggers of salivation and the feeling of gratification, which are the innate root responses. A learned (conditioned) cue may serve in subsequent events as a trigger of additional conditioning processes. For example, additional stimuli or activities that are associated with the whistle are perceived by the dog as gratifying, and are internalized as such. That is one way in which simple root mechanisms direct the development of elaborate behaviors, which consists of a variety of cues and activities. It has been demonstrated that humans can acquire new sexual cues by conditioning .
In Pavlov's experiment, the sensation of food triggers the reactions of salivation and gratification. Food also triggers the process of learning new behaviors. The pitch of human voice is the analog of food when humans learn sexual behavior during childhood. The same way that the taste of food creates in the brain of the animal representations of targeted foods, the voice of a speaker creates in the brain of a child representation of sexual attraction targets. The pitch of the voice serves as a detector of the sex of the speaker. Based on this detection, the brain of the child builds representations of ‘man’ and ‘woman’. Through conditioning, the brain then uses these representations and builds mental models of who is sexually attractive, and what activities cause sexual arousal. Three main groups of brain centers are involved in the development of the mental records: the auditory system provides the root sensory cues; emotion centers, such as the amygdala, provide root emotional cues, and controllers of the physical aspects of the behavior, such as the hypothalamus, provide the connections to the sex organs. Based on the hardware of the auditory system and its connections to brain centers, such as the hypothalamus, some children develop sexual attraction to men, and others to women .
Sexual orientation emerges at puberty. At puberty, boys and girls whose physical-sex-controllers have been innately tuned to women’s voice will be sexually attracted to women. At puberty, boys and girls whose physical-sex-controllers have been innately tuned to men’s voice will be sexually attracted to men. Boys and girls whose physical-sex-controllers have been initially tuned to men’s and women’s voice in the same amount will be sexually attracted, at puberty, to both men and women .
and by the auditory
neural networks, which project that information to various brain areas . It was found that concentration of sex hormones affects the development and connectivity of neural networks
, and thus the outcomes of information that they process.
The root cues of human voice are sufficient, but not necessary, for the development of sexual orientation. Other cues may also play a role. For instance, after puberty, other root cues that depend on experiencing sexual pleasures come into play. Also, in deaf children, other mechanisms, which are still unexplored, replace the reliance on sound .
In addition to sensory cues, also arousal cues contribute to the identification of targets of sexual attraction. It was suggested that a combination of two innate emotions, fear
and the feeling of safety, is a root cue of sexual arousal. These emotions are genetic, universal and robust. In general, their combination creates excitement. For example, the excitement of riding a roller coaster or driving a fast car is attributed to a combination of the feelings of fear and safety. Analysis has shown that a common thread of many sexual fantasies and behaviors is a combination of those emotions.
Sexual orientation
Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...
and sexual arousal
Sexual arousal
Sexual arousal, or sexual excitement, is the arousal of sexual desire, during or in anticipation of sexual activity. Things that precipitate human sexual arousal are called erotic stimuli, or colloquially known as turn-ons. There are many potential stimuli, both physical or mental, which can cause...
suggests that these behavior patterns are learned unconsciously from asexual experiences during childhood. The learning begins when the child distinguishes between men and women by the pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
of their voice. Using conditioning
Conditioning
Conditioning may refer to:* In psychology, the process of performing some particular action to directly influence an individual's learning; see education...
, the brain develops mental images of ‘man’ and ‘woman’ that consist of features typical to men and women in the child’s surroundings. Throughout childhood, relying on asexual experiences, the brain continues to develop the patterns of sexual behavior around those mental images. After puberty, behavior patterns that were learned from sexual experiences are added to those learned from asexual experiences during childhood .
Underlying causes of sexual diversity
While body differences between men and women are due to differences in their chromosomes, no one-to-one correlation between genes and sexual orientation was found. Pre- and post-natal concentrations of sex hormones affect the development of the sex organSex organ
A sex organ, or primary sexual characteristic, as narrowly defined, is any of the anatomical parts of the body which are involved in sexual reproduction and constitute the reproductive system in a complex organism; flowers are the reproductive organs of flowering plants, cones are the reproductive...
s, but no correlation was found between the concentration levels of hormones and sexual orientation. Concentration of sex hormones may affect the libido
Libido
Libido refers to a person's sex drive or desire for sexual activity. The desire for sex is an aspect of a person's sexuality, but varies enormously from one person to another, and it also varies depending on circumstances at a particular time. A person who has extremely frequent or a suddenly...
and other emotional traits such as aggressiveness, but they do not alter sexual orientation .
There is no correlation between the family-structure of the child (mother and father, a single parent, two parents of the same sex) and the sexual orientation of the grown-up child .
Differentiation of some brain structures has been correlated with sexual orientation. For instance, the size of the INAH-3, which is a part of the hypothalamus
Hypothalamus
The Hypothalamus is a portion of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions...
, a brain area that among other things controls physical aspects of sexual activity, is larger in gay men than in heterosexual men and women . The hypothalamus also reacts to certain chemical compounds in accordance with the sexual orientation of the individual . The amygdala
Amygdala
The ' are almond-shaped groups of nuclei located deep within the medial temporal lobes of the brain in complex vertebrates, including humans. Shown in research to perform a primary role in the processing and memory of emotional reactions, the amygdalae are considered part of the limbic system.-...
, a brain area involved in emotional activities such as fear, was found to be involved in sexual activities . The inner ear
Inner ear
The inner ear is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull with a system of passages comprising two main functional parts:...
shows sex and sexual orientation differentiations. The cochlea
Cochlea
The cochlea is the auditory portion of the inner ear. It is a spiral-shaped cavity in the bony labyrinth, making 2.5 turns around its axis, the modiolus....
e of human females are 8-13% shorter than those of males . Otoacoustic emission (OAE), which is sound generated by the cochlea in response to external sound, was found to have sex differences even in newborns, and in adult women such differences correlate with sexual orientation. Auditory evoked potentials, which are presumed to correspond to populations of neurons from the auditory nerve through auditory cortex, showed differences in mean latency
Latency
Latency or latent may refer to:*Latency period , the time between exposure to a pathogen, chemical or radiation, and when symptoms first become apparent...
or amplitude
Amplitude
Amplitude is the magnitude of change in the oscillating variable with each oscillation within an oscillating system. For example, sound waves in air are oscillations in atmospheric pressure and their amplitudes are proportional to the change in pressure during one oscillation...
that correlate with sex and with sexual orientation of women .
The role of conditioning
ConditioningConditioning
Conditioning may refer to:* In psychology, the process of performing some particular action to directly influence an individual's learning; see education...
is an innate learning mechanism that enables animals to develop beneficial behaviors in the environment in which they happen to live. In Pavlov
Pavlov
-People:*Pavlov *Ivan Pavlov, a psychologist famous for his experiment in classical conditioning.-Places:*in the Czech Republic:**Pavlov **Pavlov **Pavlov **Pavlov...
's experiments, the taste of food is the innate cue that triggers the conditioning process. Events associated with that cue (e.g. a whistle) become new triggers of salivation and the feeling of gratification, which are the innate root responses. A learned (conditioned) cue may serve in subsequent events as a trigger of additional conditioning processes. For example, additional stimuli or activities that are associated with the whistle are perceived by the dog as gratifying, and are internalized as such. That is one way in which simple root mechanisms direct the development of elaborate behaviors, which consists of a variety of cues and activities. It has been demonstrated that humans can acquire new sexual cues by conditioning .
In Pavlov's experiment, the sensation of food triggers the reactions of salivation and gratification. Food also triggers the process of learning new behaviors. The pitch of human voice is the analog of food when humans learn sexual behavior during childhood. The same way that the taste of food creates in the brain of the animal representations of targeted foods, the voice of a speaker creates in the brain of a child representation of sexual attraction targets. The pitch of the voice serves as a detector of the sex of the speaker. Based on this detection, the brain of the child builds representations of ‘man’ and ‘woman’. Through conditioning, the brain then uses these representations and builds mental models of who is sexually attractive, and what activities cause sexual arousal. Three main groups of brain centers are involved in the development of the mental records: the auditory system provides the root sensory cues; emotion centers, such as the amygdala, provide root emotional cues, and controllers of the physical aspects of the behavior, such as the hypothalamus, provide the connections to the sex organs. Based on the hardware of the auditory system and its connections to brain centers, such as the hypothalamus, some children develop sexual attraction to men, and others to women .
Sexual orientation emerges at puberty. At puberty, boys and girls whose physical-sex-controllers have been innately tuned to women’s voice will be sexually attracted to women. At puberty, boys and girls whose physical-sex-controllers have been innately tuned to men’s voice will be sexually attracted to men. Boys and girls whose physical-sex-controllers have been initially tuned to men’s and women’s voice in the same amount will be sexually attracted, at puberty, to both men and women .
The mental roots
Voice is generated and detected by genetically controlled organs, which are sex differentiated. It is robust and universal – it is one of the most reliable and commonly used cues for detecting the sex of a person. The distinction between men’s and women’s voices is based on differences in sound frequencies. Those are detected and processed by the inner earInner ear
The inner ear is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in the temporal bone of the skull with a system of passages comprising two main functional parts:...
and by the auditory
Auditory system
The auditory system is the sensory system for the sense of hearing.- Outer ear :The folds of cartilage surrounding the ear canal are called the pinna...
neural networks, which project that information to various brain areas . It was found that concentration of sex hormones affects the development and connectivity of neural networks
Neural Networks
Neural Networks is the official journal of the three oldest societies dedicated to research in neural networks: International Neural Network Society, European Neural Network Society and Japanese Neural Network Society, published by Elsevier...
, and thus the outcomes of information that they process.
The root cues of human voice are sufficient, but not necessary, for the development of sexual orientation. Other cues may also play a role. For instance, after puberty, other root cues that depend on experiencing sexual pleasures come into play. Also, in deaf children, other mechanisms, which are still unexplored, replace the reliance on sound .
In addition to sensory cues, also arousal cues contribute to the identification of targets of sexual attraction. It was suggested that a combination of two innate emotions, fear
Fear
Fear is a distressing negative sensation induced by a perceived threat. It is a basic survival mechanism occurring in response to a specific stimulus, such as pain or the threat of danger...
and the feeling of safety, is a root cue of sexual arousal. These emotions are genetic, universal and robust. In general, their combination creates excitement. For example, the excitement of riding a roller coaster or driving a fast car is attributed to a combination of the feelings of fear and safety. Analysis has shown that a common thread of many sexual fantasies and behaviors is a combination of those emotions.