Let's Talk About Sex: Crash Course Psychology #27

All trends exist. Sexual orientation cannot be chosen or changed. So what causes these differences? I hope you know this, but it's worth repeating: there is no evidence that sexual orientation is related to things like a controlling mother, an absent father, adult hormone levels, child abuse, or parental sexual orientation. In other words, decades of studies have led researchers to believe that once born, there are no clear environmental factors that impact sexual orientation. Much research has been done on the biological aspects of sexual orientation, such as genetic factors, brain anatomy, prenatal conditions, and others. But it is important to know that we have not yet achieved a purely biological understanding of sexual orientation.

In fact, the evidence so far confirms the idea that sexual orientation is not a choice, but rather a natural variable among humans, like height. So after this long

talk

about sex, you might be wondering why we have it in the first place. Of

course

, there is the pleasure factor, but the main function of sex has nothing to do with pleasure. Sexual intimacy serves basic life purposes, including reproduction, but also includes reducing stress, maintaining healthy relationships, socializing, expressing love, and general satisfaction. Some say that the brain is the most important sexual organ and with good reason. Intimacy is often the end, not the means.

Today you learned about Alfred Kinsey's pioneering research on sex, the differences between biological sex and gender identity, and Masters and Johnson's four-stage sexual response cycle. We also

talk

about the role of sex hormones in our sexual development and desire, the impact of psychological and social factors on sex, our view of sexual orientation, and the reason for having sex in the first place. Thanks for watching and a special thanks to our Subbable subscribers who maintain the show. To find out how you can support our program, visit subbable.com/

crash

course

. This episode was written by Kathleen Yale, edited by Blake DePastino, and this episode's advisor, Dr.

Ranjit Bhagwat. Director and editor Nicholas Jenkins, sound designer Michael Aranda and graphics from the Thought Café team.