Voluntary control of eroticism

Area of Science:

• Human sexual response
• Psychology of sexual arousal
• Behavioral inhibition

Background:

• Previous research indicated voluntary inhibition of penile erection during erotic stimulation.
• A limitation of prior studies was the inability to guarantee subject attention to erotic stimuli.
• The role of attentional focus and competing stimuli in sexual arousal inhibition requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the ability of men to voluntarily inhibit penile erection when their attention to erotic stimuli is guaranteed.
• To determine if verbal descriptions of erotic content affect the capacity for erection inhibition.
• To explore alternative methods of sexual arousal reduction beyond focusing on asexual stimuli.

Main Methods:

• Subjects were presented with erotic stimulus films, with their attention to the content ensured via detailed verbal descriptions.
• Participants were instructed to voluntarily inhibit penile erection during the erotic stimulation.
• Physiological measures of penile erection were assessed, alongside self-report of inhibition strategies.

Main Results:

• All subjects successfully inhibited penile erection, even when attending to the erotic stimuli's content.
• The use of verbal descriptions to ensure attention did not diminish the effectiveness of erection inhibition.
• The verbal description method also precluded the use of competing asexual stimuli, a previously reported inhibition technique.

Conclusions:

• Voluntary inhibition of penile erection is possible even when fully attending to erotic stimuli.
• Sexual arousal can be effectively reduced through methods other than concentrating on asexual thoughts.
• These findings contribute to understanding the cognitive and behavioral mechanisms underlying sexual arousal control.