Fox News' resident sexologist, Logan Levkoff, recently provided a list of 5 tips to "Get Your Wife to Have More Sex With You." Nothing terribly earth shattering in the list, as you'll see:
Snuggle, Don't Grope
Don't Treat Us Like Porn Stars
Do Unto Others
Give Us Space
Talk — And Listen
However, in tip #1 (Snuggle, Don't Grope) we find this interesting quote: "Did you know that studies show that if you hug for partner for 30 seconds it raises her oxytocin levels? Oxytocin is a hormone that makes us feel loving and connected and helps put us in the mood. So start with a hug."
30 seconds! Hug your wife for 30 seconds!! You can do that, I promise. It will make her feel great, and you may, just may find a fantastic reward for your thoughtfulness.
Psychology Today recently published an article comparing monogamy in certain types of animals, including prairie voles, meadow voles and barn swallows, with each other and with humans. Prairie voles and humans had the most oxytocin receptors and were also more regularly monogamous than most of the other animals in the study. Meadow voles, which generally are not monogamous, became a lot more faithful to a single mate when researchers increased the number of oxytocin receptors in their brains.
This is jusssst a little bit late for Valentine's Day, but the suggestions from Dr. Zak, probably the best-known researcher of oxytocin's behavioral effects, are fantastic for any time of the year if you'd like to get closer to someone special.
The five suggestions in the video have been shown to increase oxytocin naturally. Be sure to watch the video, but here are the tips:
So I'm kidding (mostly) about the title. But an interesting article just came out (link at the bottom) discussing sexual addictions. I can feel the eye rolls now…I know that's usually my reaction when I hear about some celebrity who claims that he's not really cheating because he is a sex addict. Uh huh.
Well, the interesting thing about the article I'm describing is its look at researchers' thoughts about what causes sexual addiction. For starters most (the article claims 90%) sex addicts are men. And why would that be? Because of how and when oxytocin is released in women:
“Women have a hard time believing that sexual compulsion exists because in part, they can’t relate to it,” says Ian Kerner, Ph.D., author of Sex Recharge. “During desire and sex, the female body produces higher levels of the feel-good chemical oxytocin, making sex more of an emotional act than it is for men.”
In other words, for women, this physiological response can act as a hormonal safeguard from developing an obsession…
Oxytocin builds trust and deepens emotional bonds. So even though I wasn't really serious about Tiger, I do sort of wonder how things could have been different if he had treated his sexual relationship with his wife more as an emotional connection and not so much as just a physical one.
Research into kissing–what a great gig!–has shown that it causes a whole range of changes in the brain's chemistry. Saliva may help pass testosterone to your partner, which is one way to get the engine revved up. Cortisol, a hormone that's related to stress, is reduced, which causes people to feel good and more romantic. Finally–and this is the important thing to us–it releases oxytocin, which helps people bond.
This is yet another example of oxytocin's positive effects on mood and romance. Of course, if you're not already kissing someone, you can increase their "bonding hormone" levels by using an oxytocin spray. You will both feel more trusting and open to more possibilities…
This item isn't so much about oxytocin as it is about things you can do to, well, boost your sex drive. The list is largely directed toward women, but some of the tips apply equally to both sexes. The importance of oxytocin's role comes in the tip about touching and cuddling more to increase oxytocin levels. Of course, oxytocin spray absorbed through the nasal passages has been shown to bring about those same feelings of intimacy.
Click on over to the article in The Sun to read about all the tips, not just the one about oxytocin. You'll have to wade through a few interesting ideas having to do with things like armpits, garlic and meat, but it's a quick fun read, and you may learn a useful tip or two along the way.
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