Bi-Curious
There's some interesting (if not controversial) work going on around the topic of bisexuality these days, and a story hit the newspapers just today on this very topic.
A new study seems to indicate that male bisexuality doesn't exist. After strapping genital sensors to a group of 101 men, 33 who identified themselves as bisexual, they found that all of the men either responded to erotic films of men or women, but not both. A study of women by the same group of researches, found that many women did indeed respond to both.
So, what's going on here? There are a number of things that should be considered when reviewing these findings, most of which are pointed out in the story from the New York Times (registration required - but it's free and worth it). One, it's not a huge sample. Two, many bisexuals will tell you that it's not only genital response that makes up attraction. Finally, there really isn't enough research about bisexuality yet to draw any conclusions.
I'd wonder as well how much of the reaction to the films — in both men and women — would be cultural or social. Is it more "okay" for women to be attracted to other women, and does this have an impact on the results? I'm not sure.
Interesting stuff though - but don't get out your Jump to Conclusions Mat just yet. There's lots more work to be done in this area.
A new study seems to indicate that male bisexuality doesn't exist. After strapping genital sensors to a group of 101 men, 33 who identified themselves as bisexual, they found that all of the men either responded to erotic films of men or women, but not both. A study of women by the same group of researches, found that many women did indeed respond to both.
So, what's going on here? There are a number of things that should be considered when reviewing these findings, most of which are pointed out in the story from the New York Times (registration required - but it's free and worth it). One, it's not a huge sample. Two, many bisexuals will tell you that it's not only genital response that makes up attraction. Finally, there really isn't enough research about bisexuality yet to draw any conclusions.
I'd wonder as well how much of the reaction to the films — in both men and women — would be cultural or social. Is it more "okay" for women to be attracted to other women, and does this have an impact on the results? I'm not sure.
Interesting stuff though - but don't get out your Jump to Conclusions Mat just yet. There's lots more work to be done in this area.
posted by Hailey Dai @ 7:43 p.m.
2 Comments:
At 2:04 a.m.,
figleaf said…
"Interesting stuff though - but don't get out your Jump to Conclusions Mat just yet. There's lots more work to be done in this area."
Hi Hailey,
This is one of the reasons I like reading your blog. Interpretations can range all over the map, but the bottom line is "a sample of men who self-report being bisexual tended strongly to become physically aroused by images of only one or the other gender."
My feeling is that good science is sometimes more productive for the new questions it raises rather than the answers it settles. This is a classic example and I'm looking forward to independent efforts to confirm, refute, and/or expand upon the findings of this small, preliminary study.
Thanks for keeping a cool head.
At 2:51 p.m.,
Hailey Dai said…
Thanks for your kind words, figleaf. As you know: jumping to conclusions when it comes to sexuality usually causes a lot more harm than good.
And, thanks for reading!
HD
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