Entries with the tag "Art"
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
I Only Do It So I Can Breathe
I’m a guy, so it seems like a silly question to ask. “Do you masturbate?” I mean, you may as well ask me whether I breathe or whether I like breasts better than ottomans. But it turns out that there’s actual value in asking the question—and a few surprising answers. A 2007 University of Chicago study on masturbation found that 61 percent of men aged 18 to 60 told researchers in a face-to-face interview that they had masturbated in the previous year. The number for women was only 38 percent. So, right away… maybe people aren’t doing for themselves quite as much as I thought. You might be thinking, “Yes, but look at the ages in the study. Once folks get married, they don’t masturbate as much.” Aha! There’s one of the surprises:
In American culture, masturbation is often viewed as a sexual refuge for singles, as a way to compensate for a lack of sex in a relationship. In this survey, that turned out not to be the case. In both genders, a sexless relationship suppressed masturbation. Respondents who masturbated the most were usually involved in a sexual relationship. Having partner sex, it appears, piques interest in solo sex.
Women were found to masturbate more if they were in a relationship in which they were not getting either enough physical or emotional closeness.
Speaking of masturbation, did you know that masturbation may help alleviate hay fever symptoms? Or sex. Your choice. The research out of Iran seems a little specious and (naturally) didn’t study women at all. The idea seems to be that, since blood flow in the genitals and in a stuffed-up nose are both related to the sympathetic nervous system, an orgasm might constrict blood vessels in the nose as well as the nads and the subsequent relaxation might unblock those nasal passages. It’s worth a try.
Monday is Thomas Jefferson’s birthday. And I’m sure Jefferson would appreciate being remembered as a man of action and not just a man of words. I’m not sure what the other presidents would think of Justine Lai’s series of paintings imagining herself having sex with each of them. Eighteen down, twenty-six to go. And why doesn’t it surprise me that Grant is into spanking?
Compared with Ms. Lai, I’m no painter. But, as I said before, I want to do more art for fun. Here’s a little painting thingee I did last night before bed.
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Categories: Sex news
Tags: masturbation, art, sex research
Monday, April 06, 2009
Spank for a Brighter Tomorrow
Well, it’s spring. And, as you all know, in springtime a man’s fancy turns to his long-neglected blog. Yes. The plan is that I will actually be posting new material. For instance, I am almost finished with the next installment of the “Between Us, A Girl” serial story. Looks like it’s going to be five parts instead of four! Poems will continue. (Speaking of which, why not forward my spring haiku to folks you know? It’s time to flex those flirting muscles.) I’ll be back to commenting on sex-related stories from the daily news. And finally, I’ve got this urge to do some drawing. This one today is mine. I have no idea what will come of this.
I’ve also been doing a little housekeeping. I finally ditched Blogrolling.com for my links list due to their new advertisement policy and basic unreliability. It also gave me the chance to roll my own blogroll internally, break it into categories, cull the dead links, and add a bunch of new must read (or view) sites. I got rid of Meebo for now. Aside from flirting with Devi, there didn’t seem to be much call for a group chat area. Instead, I’ve added a Digsby IM widget. So, if you see I’m online when you’re visiting, feel free to give me a shout or quick grope.
Speaking of news, did you see where researchers have found that spanking enhances relationships? Actually, it wasn’t just spanking. Researchers attended BDSM events in Arizona and Colorado where they measured the stress hormone cortisol in participants before, during, and after S&M sessions. They found that:
During S&M scenes, cortisol rose significantly in those receiving stimulation, but dropped back to normal within 40 minutes if the scene went well. There was no change in those inflicting the activity. ... “When sexual intercourse is consensual it is not stressful—even if it is extreme sex.”
The researchers also attempted to measure relationship closeness. In both studies, couples who said their sessions went well and that the party went well also reported feeling closer to their partner afterward. Researchers admit that they haven’t adequately examined the effects of other shared activities on relationship closeness. It’s possible taking a walk and holding hands may have the same effect. Except without the welts.
