Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective01:23

Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective

In a study where individuals posing as strangers offered compliments and proposed casual sex to students, the responses differed significantly based on gender. Not a single woman accepted the proposal, while 70% of the men agreed. This outcome provides a useful scenario to explore through the lens of evolutionary psychology and social learning theory, highlighting the diverse perspectives on human sexual behaviors.
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Evolutionary Psychology01:20

Evolutionary Psychology

Evolutionary psychology explores the origins of human behavior and mental processes by framing them within the context of natural selection, a theory famously propounded by Charles Darwin. This field asserts that many behaviors common across human societies — ranging from instinctive fear reactions to complex social interactions — arose as evolutionary adaptations. These adaptations enhanced the survival and reproductive success of our ancestors, thereby becoming embedded in the human psyche...
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences01:06

Natural Selection and Mating Preferences

The principle of natural selection posits that organisms better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce. This principle is closely intertwined with mating preferences, a key aspect of sexual selection, which evolutionary psychologists believe is driven by instincts to propagate one's genes. Such instincts significantly influence mating behaviors and preferences between genders.
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...
Oogenesis02:07

Oogenesis

In human women, oogenesis produces one mature egg cell or ovum for every precursor cell that enters meiosis. This process differs in two unique ways from the equivalent procedure of spermatogenesis in males. First, meiotic divisions during oogenesis are asymmetric, meaning that a large oocyte (containing most of the cytoplasm) and minor polar body are produced as a result of meiosis I, and again following meiosis II. Since only oocytes will go on to form embryos if fertilized, this unequal...
Oogenesis01:22

Oogenesis

Oogenesis,  the process of developing egg cells (female gametes), occurs within the ovaries and is fundamental to female fertility. This sequence begins during fetal development when diploid oogonia in the developing ovaries undergo mitotic divisions to produce primary oocytes. By birth, these primary oocytes enter prophase I of meiosis but become arrested in this stage, remaining suspended until puberty.
Each primary oocyte is surrounded by a layer of pre-granulosa cells, forming what is known...
Aggression01:47

Aggression

Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for hire...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Real-world evaluation of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms and side effects in patients prescribed serdexmethylphenidate/dexmethylphenidate or other stimulants.

Frontiers in pharmacology·2026
Same author

Solriamfetol improves daily fatigue symptoms in adults with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome after 8 weeks of treatment.

Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)·2025
Same author

Editorial: Hormones and person perception.

Frontiers in psychology·2025
Same author

A meta-analysis of sex differences in neonatal rodent ultrasonic vocalizations and the implication for the preclinical maternal immune activation model.

Biology of sex differences·2025
Same author

Extended-release amphetamine (Dyanavel XR) is associated with reduced immediate-release supplementation in adults with ADHD, regardless of baseline patient variables: a retrospective cohort analysis of medical treatment records.

BMC psychiatry·2025
Same author

Ejaculate Adjustment in Response to Sperm Competition Risk in Humans.

Archives of sexual behavior·2024

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 21, 2026

Rodent Estrous Cycle Monitoring Utilizing Vaginal Lavage: No Such Thing As a Normal Cycle
09:05

Rodent Estrous Cycle Monitoring Utilizing Vaginal Lavage: No Such Thing As a Normal Cycle

Published on: August 30, 2021

Why women have orgasms: an evolutionary analysis.

David A Puts1, Khytam Dawood, Lisa L M Welling

  • 1Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA. dap27@psu.edu

Archives of Sexual Behavior
|June 27, 2012
PubMed
Summary

Female orgasm

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Human sexuality
  • Reproductive science

Background:

  • The evolutionary function of female orgasm is a contentious topic.
  • Two hypotheses exist: mate-choice and byproduct.
  • Understanding female orgasm's adaptedness can illuminate primate mating dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review evidence for competing hypotheses on female orgasm's evolution.
  • To identify gaps in current research.
  • To determine if female orgasm is an adaptation.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of existing studies on female orgasm.
  • Analysis of evidence supporting mate-choice and byproduct hypotheses.
  • Identification of areas requiring further investigation.

More Related Videos

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs
15:19

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs

Published on: June 22, 2014

Unraveling the Role of Discrete Areas of the Rat Brain in the Regulation of Ovulation through Reversible Inactivation by Tetrodotoxin Microinjections
11:04

Unraveling the Role of Discrete Areas of the Rat Brain in the Regulation of Ovulation through Reversible Inactivation by Tetrodotoxin Microinjections

Published on: September 3, 2020

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 21, 2026

Rodent Estrous Cycle Monitoring Utilizing Vaginal Lavage: No Such Thing As a Normal Cycle
09:05

Rodent Estrous Cycle Monitoring Utilizing Vaginal Lavage: No Such Thing As a Normal Cycle

Published on: August 30, 2021

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs
15:19

Effect of Male Accessory Gland Products on Egg Laying in Gastropod Molluscs

Published on: June 22, 2014

Unraveling the Role of Discrete Areas of the Rat Brain in the Regulation of Ovulation through Reversible Inactivation by Tetrodotoxin Microinjections
11:04

Unraveling the Role of Discrete Areas of the Rat Brain in the Regulation of Ovulation through Reversible Inactivation by Tetrodotoxin Microinjections

Published on: September 3, 2020

Main Results:

  • The mate-choice hypothesis for female orgasm receives more empirical support.
  • Evidence suggests female orgasm may enhance fertilization probability.
  • Female orgasm may have evolved to favor fertilization by males with superior genes.

Conclusions:

  • Female orgasm likely evolved as an adaptation.
  • The mate-choice hypothesis is better supported by current evidence.
  • Further research is needed to confirm the precise evolutionary role of female orgasm.