COMMENTS: Study demonstrating habituation in women (declining dopamine response) to watching the same porn film, and an increase in sexual arousal (increased dopamine) when exposed to a novel porn film. This is an example of the Coolidge effect at work – more dopamine when presented with a novel sexual possibility.
Behav Res Ther. 1990;28(3):217-26.
Source
Department of Psychology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract
Measures of subjective and physiological sexual arousal were taken within a session while women either viewed the same segment of erotic film on many occasions or employed the same sexual fantasy over a number of trials. For both film and fantasy there were significant reductions in subjective sexual arousal and average pulse amplitude during the course of repeated erotic stimulation. Subsequent presentation of novel erotic stimuli led to recovery in sexual arousal. Bases for habituation and dishabituation of female sexual arousal are discussed.
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