Summary of Male Sexual Behavior

Learning Objectives

  • Explain animal research on male sexual behavior and endocrine correlates
  • Understand brain mechanisms involved in male sexual behavior
  • Discuss individual and age-related variations in male sexual behavior

Male Sexual Behavior in Animals

  • Sexual motivation in males is strong; may risk life for mating opportunities.
  • Different mating strategies due to reproductive potential differences:
    1. Gametes: females have limited eggs, males have abundant sperm.
    2. Parental investment: females generally invest more in offspring than males.
  • Females tend to be choosy, while males are ardent in mating.

Risk-Taking Behavior

  • Study findings: male skateboarders took more risks performing tricks in front of females, indicating risk as a sexual display strategy.

Phases of Male Sexual Behavior

  • Appetitive Phase: courtship involving species-specific behaviors.
  • Consummatory Phase: involves copulation.
  • Males spend more energy seeking copulation than in the act itself.

Male Rodent Mating Behavior

  • Sexual attraction is mainly olfactory; involves sniffing.
  • Typical copulatory sequence: mounting, intromission, ejaculation (20 mounts, 10-15 intromissions).
  • Post-ejaculation behavior includes vocalization and self-grooming.

Coolidge Effect

  • Novel partner leads to renewed sexual activity after being sexually satiated with a current partner.

Hormonal Influences

  • Androgens affect sexual behavior and motivation in males.
  • Castration reduces sexual behaviors in a specific order, but testosterone treatment can restore sexual functions.
  • Aromatization of testosterone to estradiol impacts mating behavior.

Individual Differences in Mating Behavior

  • High drive males not necessarily having higher testosterone levels; variations in behavior persist despite testosterone concentrations.
  • Low levels of testosterone can still maintain sexual behavior.

Brain Mechanisms

  • Olfactory System: critical for mating attempts.
  • Amygdala: processes hormonal regulation and is crucial for appetitive and consummatory behaviors.
  • MPOA: integrates multiple stimuli for copulation; activated by mating stimuli.
  • Lesions in MPOA disrupt sexual motivation/performance.

Dopamine and Sexual Behavior

  • Dopamine levels rise in response to sexual cues, facilitating mating behavior.
  • Novel stimuli increase dopamine related to mating activities.

Human Sexual Behavior and Hormones

  • Sexual activities in humans peak in early 20s, decline with age.
  • T levels correlate with sexual activity.
  • Studies indicate that higher testosterone correlates with increased sexual behaviors, but do not directly prove causation.

Treatments for Sexual Dysfunction

  • Approximately 50% of men over 40 experience erectile dysfunction.
  • Common treatments include Viagra to enhance blood flow to the penis without affecting sexual motivation.