Rising to the Occasion: Pornography and Politics
Complete article at http://ow.ly/32w4G from the Economist When Barack Obama won the American presidency in 2008 his supporters cheered, cried, hugged--and in many cases logged onto their computers to look at pornography. And, lest Republicans crow about the decadence of their opponents, precisely the obverse happened when their man won in 2004. That, at least, is the conclusion of a study by Patrick Markey of Villanova University, in Pennsylvania, and his wife Charlotte, who works at Rutgers, in New Jersey. The Markeys were looking for confirmation of a phenomenon called the challenge hypothesis. This suggests that males involved in a competition will experience a rise in testosterone levels if they win, and a fall if they lose. The challenge hypothesis was first advanced to explain the mating behaviour of monogamous birds. In these species, males' testosterone levels increase in the spring, to promote aggression against potential rivals. When the time comes for the males to settle down and help tend their young, their testosterone falls, along with their aggressive tendencies. Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Department of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/home.htm Office Hours: Mondays 12-2 & 3-4 p.m.; Tuesdays & Thursdays 8-9 a.m. & 12:30-2 p.m. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, & bluegrass fiddler...... in approximate order of importance. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=6160 or send a blank email to leave-6160-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
