Erotic Images Rev Up Women's Brains

Researchers Find Brainwave Activity
Speeds Up in Strong Response
By Jennifer Warner

Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD, Friday, June 16, 2006

June 16, 2006 -- When a woman says, "You turn me on," it
may be her brain that's talking, as well as her hormones.
A new study shows looking at erotic images causes a rapid
increase in women's electrical brainwave activity,
effectively turning their brains on.

The brains' electrical activity fired about 20% faster
when study participants viewed erotic images than when
they looked at other types of images, researchers found.
"That surprised us," says researcher Andrey P. Anokhin,
PhD, research assistant and professor of psychiatry at
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis,
in a news release. "We believed both pleasant and
disturbing images would evoke a rapid response, but
erotic scenes always elicited the strongest response."

"Usually men subjectively rate erotic material much higher
than women," says Anokhin. "So, based on those data, we
would expect lower responses in women, but that was not
the case. Women have responses as strong as those seen
in men."

Erotic Images Turn the Brain On
In the study, published in the journal Brain Research,
researchers placed electrodes on the scalps of 264 women
to measure brainwave activity as they viewed a series of
55 color slides. The images varied from water skiers to
snarling dogs to partially-clad couples in sensual poses.
Results showed that when the women viewed erotic pictures,
their brains produced electrical responses that were
stronger and quicker than responses produced by the other
types of images, regardless of how pleasant or disturbing
the other images were.

When volunteers viewed erotic images, their electrical
brainwave activity began firing within 160 milliseconds
-- about 20% faster than the electrical response prompted
by other images.

Researchers also found that the erotic images were
processed in different brain structures than those used
for other images.

The results suggest that different brain circuits may be
involved in processing erotic images than in other types
of everyday images, the researchers say.

In addition, Anokhin says the fact that this study showed
women's brains exhibited such a quick response to erotic
pictures suggests that, perhaps for evolutionary reasons,
our brains are programmed to preferentially respond to
erotic material.

SOURCES: Anokhin, A. Brain Research, May 18, 2006 online
edition. News release, Washington University School of
Medicine.

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