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Why no man should marry
before age 25?
 Quite
simply, a man's brain is incomplete before then.
Sure, his sexual organs are all present and
accounted for, but his prefrontal cortex (PFC)
is still developing. Which is too bad, because
that's the part of his brain that's involved in
judgment, impulse control, organization,
planning, forethought, and learning from
mistakes. And it won't be fully developed until
he's 25.
Why beautiful women
make you stupid?
You act like a goof with the Hooters waitress,
leaving a tip that doubles the bar bill. But
why? Beautiful women cause a man's limbic system
(the amygdala and other brain-stem structures,
which are in charge of emotion) to fire up at
the same time that his PFC checks out, leaving
the judgment area vacant. Las Vegas casinos hire
beautiful cocktail waitresses, dress them in
low-cut tops and miniskirts, and have them pass
out free alcohol--all of which encourages men's
self-control to take the day trip to Hoover Dam.
No wonder the house has the edge.
How you can get the
edge back?
When faced with the dilemma of a bad bet on
a beautiful woman, remember that her beauty is
fleeting, but a bad decision can last a
lifetime. It's a very PFC sentiment, in fact.
Why you're captivated
by porn, but she can take it or leave it?
Guys aren't shallow; it's
just that the visual parts of their brains are
strong and tend to twang their emotions. Using
sophisticated imaging equipment, researchers at
Emory University in Atlanta found that the
amygdala, which controls emotions and
motivation, is much more activated in men than
in women when they view sexual material for 30
minutes, even though both sexes report similar
levels of interest. This may be one of the
reasons men are much more captivated by
pornography than women: For men, it's not just
porn, it's personal. Back in the real world,
women hijack men's brains by appealing to their
strong visual sense. But women can take in a
guy's visuals and think, Yeah, but how much does
he have in his 401(k)? To avoid the tyranny of
the visual, you need to kick-start your
responsible prefrontal cortex by asking
yourself, What's my goal in a relationship? That
can divert you from those short-term, erotic
visions.
How your nose triggers
an erection?
There's a direct connection between the
olfactory bulb, at the top of your nose, and the
septal area, the arousal center of your brain.
When cells in your nose are stimulated, they
send signals to your libido (and hers) to stand
up and pay attention. You know what smells turn
you on--the evidence is obvious. As for her, a
study at the University of California at
Berkeley found that women become aroused when
exposed to a chemical called
4.16-androstadien-3-one (AND). The good news?
AND occurs naturally in men's sweat, hair, and
skin. Take her someplace cold on your date--the
favorite jacket or sweater you'll conveniently
have on hand to lend her should be loaded with
the stuff.
Why you (sometimes)
lose your erection (no, actually, it hardly ever
happens) during sex?
Maybe little Willie is nervous during his big
moment onstage. Performance anxiety is about the
fear of being judged or not living up to
expectations. The body is programmed to see
anxiety as a threat, and the nervous system sets
up the fight-or-flight response, sending out
chemicals to protect us: Our heart races,
muscles tense, and blood is shunted from our
hands, feet, and penis to the large muscles of
the shoulders and hips so we can fight or run
away. That's not such a good strategy in bed,
however.
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