Are women naturally bisexual?

[lott]

I ask this because I found a report showing that both heterosexual and bisexual women both became aroused when watching lesbian porn.

Here's the article:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0613075252.htm

Study Suggests Difference Between Female And Male Sexuality

Science Daily — EVANSTON, Ill. --- Three decades of research on men's sexual arousal show patterns that clearly track sexual orientation -- gay men overwhelmingly become sexually aroused by images of men and heterosexual men by images of women. In other words, men's sexual arousal patterns seem obvious.

But a new Northwestern University study boosts the relatively limited research on women's sexuality with a surprisingly different finding regarding women's sexual arousal.

In contrast to men, both heterosexual and lesbian women tend to become sexually aroused by both male and female erotica, and, thus, have a bisexual arousal pattern.

"These findings likely represent a fundamental difference between men's and women's brains and have important implications for understanding how sexual orientation development differs between men and women," said J. Michael Bailey, professor and chair of psychology at Northwestern and senior researcher of the study "A Sex Difference in the Specificity of Sexual Arousal." The study is forthcoming in the journal Psychological Science.

Bailey's main research focus has been on the genetics and environment of sexual orientation, and he is one of the principal investigators of a widely cited study that concludes that genes influence male homosexuality.

As in many areas of sexuality, research on women's sexual arousal patterns has lagged far behind men's, but the scant research on the subject does hint that, compared with men, women's sexual arousal patterns may be less tightly connected to their sexual orientation.

The Northwestern study strongly suggests this is true. The Northwestern researchers measured the psychological and physiological sexual arousal in homosexual and heterosexual men and women as they watched erotic films. There were three types of erotic films: those featuring only men, those featuring only women and those featuring male and female couples. As with previous research, the researchers found that men responded consistent with their sexual orientations. In contrast, both homosexual and heterosexual women showed a bisexual pattern of psychological as well as genital arousal. That is, heterosexual women were just as sexually aroused by watching female stimuli as by watching male stimuli, even though they prefer having sex with men rather than women.

"In fact, the large majority of women in contemporary Western societies have sex exclusively with men," said Meredith Chivers, a Ph.D. candidate in clinical psychology at Northwestern University, a psychology intern at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the study's first author. "But I have long suspected that women's sexuality is very different from men's, and this study scientifically demonstrates one way this is so."

The study's results mesh with current research showing that women's sexuality demonstrates increased flexibility relative to men in other areas besides sexual orientation, according to Chivers.

"Taken together, these results suggest that women's sexuality differs from men and emphasize the need for researchers to develop a model of the development and organization of female sexuality independent from models of male sexuality," she said.

The study's four authors include Bailey and three graduate students in Northwestern's psychology department, Chivers, Gerulf Rieger and Elizabeth Latty.

"Since most women seem capable of sexual arousal to both sexes, why do they choose one or the other?" Bailey asked. "Probably for reasons other than sexual arousal."

Sexual arousal is the emotional and physical response to sexual stimuli, including erotica or actual people. It has been known since the early 1960s that homosexual and heterosexual men respond in specific but opposite ways to sexual stimuli depicting men and women. Films provoke the greatest sexual response, and films of men having sex with men or of women having sex with women provoke the largest differences between homosexual and heterosexual men. That is because the same-sex films offer clear-cut results, whereas watching heterosexual sex could be exciting to both homosexual and heterosexual men, but for different reasons.

Typically, men experience genital arousal and psychological sexual arousal when they watch films depicting their preferred sex, but not when they watch films depicting the other sex. Men's specific pattern of sexual arousal is such a reliable fact that genital arousal can be used to assess men's sexual preferences. Even gay men who deny their own homosexuality will become more sexually aroused by male sexual stimuli than by female stimuli.

"The fact that women's sexual arousal patterns are not all predicted by their sexual orientations suggests that men's and women's minds and brains are very different," Bailey said.

To rule out the possibility that the differences between men's and women's genital sexual arousal patterns might be due to the different ways that genital arousal is measured in men and women, the Northwestern researchers identified a subset of subjects: postoperative transsexuals who began life as men but had surgery to construct artificial vaginas.

In a sense, those transsexuals have the brains of men but the genitals of women. Their psychological and genital arousal patterns matched those of men -- those who like men were more aroused by male stimuli and those who like women were more aroused by the female stimuli -- even though their genital arousal was measured in the same way women's was.

"This shows that the sex difference that we found is real and almost certainly due to a sex difference in the brain," said Bailey.

[havefuninsun]

This is what I think.

(forgive me, I just scanned the above -- too many words for me to read right now ... LOL).

Because it is more accepted that women can be bi-sexual, and because it's OK in society for women to look at other women and say "she's a pretty girl!" or "she looks great in that outfit" or "those are great ass pants on you" makes it easier for us (women) to take out the "someone might think I'm gay" filter.

I throughly enjoy men. But girl on girl porn or girl on girl sexual stories turn me on immensely. And I've enjoyed women ... but I don't feel a connection to women the same way I do men. I call myself socially bi (and let's not get into that discussion right now).

I think because women are more in touch with their sexuality, for the most part, even in the vanilla world, we would fine all sexual stuff arousing. NOW, with that said, within the swinging community I think the men are just as open minded. But in the vanilla world, not so much. So many men are homo-phobic they have convinced themselves that any sex between men is just gross.

IMHO, what turns us on is more of a mind game than a genitalia game.

[prettylady]

I don't know about all women being bisexual, but I do believe woman find beauty in things men don't. Women can find other women beautiful, sexual, even alluring with out feeling the need to have a sexual relationship. I know a beautiful women when I see one, but I have yet to have the urge to kiss or touch another female. But I can see what the attraction is. When I see a man who I think is beautiful (or handsome) I often do think, "ya, that would be nice to touch". I get sexually aroused by men, but not women.
Hard to explain really, but beauty is beauty no matter what the sex. Women are just more inclined to appreciate the beauty of the same sex.
Did I repeat myself enough?
Your friend,
Prettylady

[cubnamy1995]

ALright. Amy tried to explain this one to me, so I'll give it a go. She asserts that while all women may not act or even actively think about other women, the possibility is nonetheless there. Her reasoning is that female friendships are much more intimate tha friendships between men. Even vanilla women are way more touchy-feely than men. She said that since the friendships are so physocally and emotionally intimate to begin with, it is not a very big leap to make it sexual.

Men pretty well know where they stand before hand. No matter how close we are to our other male friends, we're not going to blow each other when we are feeling down. I know quite a few women, who in moments of vulnerability, have sought comfort in the arms of their best girl friend (which is how Amy realized she was bi)

I'm not even close to an expert on women, but this made sense to me, for what it's worth.

[lovinher]

Very interesting article. I don't really have anything to add that has not been said but I do know that if I was a woman I would, without a doubt be bisexual. Maybe even a lesbian. The female body is so much prettier to look at. Could it be that simple? That could explain the arousal with just a visual.

[ohash01]

Here is my opinion: No way.

I agree with the others and think it's MUCH easier for females to accept that another female body is beautiful than it is for males who see other males. We may even get a bit aroused because hey - it's sexy. But, I don't think that means they will want to have a sexual relationship with another female. I have a best friend who wouldn't touch another girl in a sexual way if her life depended on it...and those might be her exact words.

For me, it was something I kind of unsuspectedly (that might not be a word) stumbled into. I have been with a few guys in my time, but until about a year ago I had never really been sexually turned on by women. Then I found the right one...and I went "hmmm...I would REALLY like to play with her." And it surprised me. If I had never met this particular female, I would probably never have considered it.

[rotten&spoiled]

Well, I am bi. About 85% maybe more of my girl firends are bicurious. These are friends from all parts fo my life. Of course these are just the ones who have confided in me, who knows there may be more. I'm not saying all women are. Maybe my little sample is scewed. Maybe the others who are not bi or bi curious may have been if they had met the right woman.

[sigh35]

I don't think so. I think women have individual reasons, feelings and experiences that make them bi or not. I grew up with 5 brothers no sisters. I never really learned how to do the girly thing. You might even say I grew up feeling chauvinistic towards women. I would do things for my man if it turned him on, but not because I was turned on. I have always pointed out the hot looking chics for my guy, but only cuz I don't want him to miss out on his eye candy. That makes me his good buddy! So therefore in some cases, I would say increased f/f activity is brought on by the encouragement of men. As for looks, I think the man's lower region is so much more appealing to look at than a woman's. A man has sleek lines and contours....like a racecar...women look like one of those fungus mushrooms growing off the side of a tree! But that's just my opinion.

[ShellyM]

I don't think so. I am very, very bi passive. I can go without f/f play, but I have GOT to have female/male play.
Shelly

[BiloxiCouple]

I think everyone is aroused by sex. Whether it is hetro or homo sexual. How they react to it in a forum when others is around is probably based on the group they are with and social norms.

[rickmccool]

Are women naturally bisexual? No. That is my answer to that question.

I am a male who identifies as bisexual. I am more attracted to women but I also respond sexually to men. For instance when I go to the mall I am always checking out the women but if I see a masculine, good looking, well dressed guy my head will snap around. All that said I just can't generate any romantic feelings for men. Friendship, good buddies etc, but no romantic feelings at all.
My romantic feelings are for women. Gay men I've noticed usually have both romantic and sexual feelings for men, but not always. Also a while back I corresponded with a lesbian woman on another web site. She was married for 20 + years and was completely and totally in love with her husband. She had sex with her husband but it was for his sake only. Her sexual attraction was toward women only but she said that all the lesbians in the world couldn't pry her away from her husband.

My point is that sexuality and romantic feelings are separate. Gender is also separate and I probably don't have to elaborate on that point but I'll tell you about a very interesting case. I once knew a man personally who was straight as an arrow sexually but felt he was a woman, so strongly in fact that he went through the whole sex change bit including surgery, then identified as a lesbian.

I skimmed through the writeup above and the more I learn about Dr. Bailey the less I think of him. I understand he was removed as Head of the Psych. Dept at Northwestern U. because of the dubiousness of some of his research. He seems to like to use watching porn as the basis of his research which kind of raises suspicions in my mind. I'm not much on porn but in the privacy of my own home I can respond to MM, FF, MF porn, however in somebodys' office if you hooked an electronic device up to my dick, I doubt if I could get a twitch.

Dr. Bailey seems to be a proponent of the gay gene theory. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A GAY GENE! It's in the brain and male and female brains are basically the same. WE ARE NOT DIFFERENT SPECIES. There are some differences however. Women are more nurturing, emotional, caring, more affectionate. There seems to be more bi women than bi men especially in the swinging community because it's more accepted and even encouraged, however if you did a valid survey of the general population I'd be willing to bet money you'd find that there were just as many truly bi men as there were truly bi women. Probably to the eenth of a percentage point.

Also the statement about doing research on MTF transgendered men because they have male brains in female bodies is kind of laughable. MTF transgendered men have female brains in male bodies.

I think I'm running out of time so I'll hit the button

[hungry4luv]

Are women naturally bisexual? Yes! I'm a guy and I always "knew" that, but now I'm happy that I have scientific backing.

Originally Posted by rickmccool

I'm not much on porn but in the privacy of my own home I can respond to MM, FF, MF porn, however in somebodys' office if you hooked an electronic device up to my dick, I doubt if I could get a twitch.

The test subjects were watching porn in a laboratory setting, which probably diminished their arousal level. In the particular case of women, even more so, I think. Yet, women did get aroused by female stimuli, and it's easy to imagine that in the privacy of their homes, the arousal would have been more widespread, and higher.

Anyway, I wish all women in the world were bi, and all men were gay, except me

[fun4Ds]

I cant say for sure.... but Ill keep checking

[JTcamp05]

Interesting topic...My wife and I were talking about this recently about how society has changed so much in reguards to openess of female/female play. (even in the non-swinger world)....

Looking back 20, 30 or 40 years ago it seams to be almost unheard of, yet it seams that there was more male/male activity going on, of course this was not open. Now the thoughts we came up with was that lady's tended to be less sexually active and that left the guy's to get each other off.

Of course this in non-scientific, but makes sense, that you would have this trend as the sexual freedoms were opened for woman with birth control and public acceptance. I do think woman in general communicate much better allowing there new found freedoms to be expressed.

Just a thought!

[Chicup]

I think women are far more inclined to bisexuality, but I'm sure there are 100% no desire at all straight women too. I think a good number of male bisexuals are homosexuals in denial, but not all. I don't entirely trust the research which state that bisexual males truly are 'confused' and are either straight or gay in the long run.

Originally Posted by BiloxiCouple

I think everyone is aroused by sex. Whether it is hetro or homo sexual. How they react to it in a forum when others is around is probably based on the group they are with and social norms.

No, two men having sex does not arouse me in the least, it doesn't matter what group I'm with. I find it vaguely nauseating and its not like I'm worried about what people I've never met on a forum think about my sexuality. There is very little that turns me off quicker than seeing two guys doing anything remotely sexual together.

I only harp on this point, as it keeps coming up. Some guys are 100% straight, we don't even have the slighting inkling to touch another man in any way sexually. There is no 'right man' that could sway us.