Neuroanthropology

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Archive for April 2nd, 2008

Good Sexual Intercourse Lasts Minutes, Not Hours, Therapists Say

Posted by dlende on April 2, 2008

That’s the title of a report over at Science Daily.  A survey of 34 sex therapists found: “The average therapists’ responses defined the ranges of intercourse activity times: ‘adequate,’ from 3-7 minutes; ‘desirable,’ from 7-13 minutes; ‘too short’ from 1-2 minutes; and ‘too long’ from 10-30 minutes.”  The researchers Eric Corty and Jenay Guardiani conclude, “Unfortunately, today’s popular culture has reinforced stereotypes about sexual activity. Many men and women seem to believe the fantasy model of large penises, rock-hard erections and all-night-long intercourse.”

For a much funnier take on the same phenomenon, here’s a YouTube music video, “Ooh Girl” – An Honest R & B Song. You can also check out our comprehensive sex round up, including the very funny Business Time video, and Greg’s in-depth post, What do those enigmatic women want?

 

Posted in Fun and Humor, general | 5 Comments »

Wednesday Round Up #5

Posted by dlende on April 2, 2008

Food, Drink and Exercise 

Eric Asimov, Can Sips at Home Prevent Binges?
Good discussion of families, teenagers and learning to drink responsibly at home

Nicholas Bakalar, Skipping Cereal and Eggs, and Packing on the Pounds
Breakfast helps keep most adolescents thin (or perhaps less hefty…?)

Ginger Campbell/John Ratey, Exercise and the Brain
Podcast discussion of Ratey’s book, Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain, and how exercise helps the brain

UPenn Press Release, Images of Desire: Food and Drug Cravings….
Cravings, habits and memories…

UFlorida Press Release, Imaging Disorders of Desire: Opiates, Brownies, Sex and Cocaine
Interview with Anna Rose Childress

Race 

Adam Geller, Where Should Conversation on Race Start?
In our mixed reactions to Obama’s speech, and much more

Eduardo Porter, Race and the Social Contract
Diversity and investment in public infrastructure

Mireya Navarro, Who Are We? New Dialogue on Mixed Race
Navigating the tight space between racial divides

General 

Sue Sheridan, Random Bytes
Sue has her own round-up, including make-up wearing Neanderthals and the evolution of complexity

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Posted in Food & Eating, general, Inequality, Links | Leave a Comment »

Human Biology and Models for Obesity

Posted by dlende on April 2, 2008

In reviewing the research and public debates, I have come away startled by the depths of politics and misappraisal about the problem, and the need for human biology to counter this mix of science and morality.  So tonight I’ll write about three problematic things I outlined to my class today, and then show how human biology can provide a useful counter. 

Mind/body and nature/nurture dichotomies run rampant in both public and scholarly discussions of debate.  If it’s not willpower, then it is a biological deficiency.  Genetics causes obesity, or super-size-me environments.  These dichotomies are based on philosophical distinctions that are now centuries old.  They do not match up well with how our bodies, minds, and environments actually work. 

The moralization of fat and the politics of diet produce a tremendous incentive for bias, whether explicit or implicit.  Rhetorical arguments are never really rhetorical in the domain of obesity.  Results are tinged by claims of good and bad, of what’s ideal and what needs to be done.  Since thin-is-in, obesity must be bad, no matter the data; finding that miracle cure, whether it is a diet or surgery or drug, promises huge financial gains, so convenient theories are propped up. 

Suspect science results from both old dichotomies and from the moral politics of obesity.  The moral politics is heightened by the uses of science in establishing authority over a problem, whether it is the government, a medical association, restaurant businesses or soda companies. 

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Posted in Food & Eating, Human variation | 2 Comments »

 
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