Study Suggests Sexual Orientation Is Decided Before Birth

[SlowwHand]

There have been various discussions among a lot of people here, so I thought you might find
it interesting.


1 hour, 37 minutes ago
By Amanda Gardner
HealthDay Reporter


In what is the first study to show an apparent link between a non-learned trait and sexual orientation, British researchers have discovered the way peoples' eyes respond to sudden loud noises may signal differences between heterosexual and homosexual men and women that were developed before birth.

The authors, whose study appears in the October issue of Behavioral Neuroscience, say about 4 percent of men and 3 percent of women are gay. Scientists have long sought to determine whether sexuality is learned or biological.

"We have several decades of research which suggests rather strongly that human sexual orientation is to some degree biologically determined," says study author Qazi Rahman, a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of East London. "The problem with those types of studies is that we can't disentangle the effects of learning."

The question then became, "What kind of task could be used that is not influenced by learning or socialization?" The answer came in human startle responses, which are involuntary and instinctual.

Specifically, Rahman and his colleagues decided to use pre-pulse inhibition (PPI (news - web sites)). When humans hear a sudden noise, they respond by blinking. If that loud noise is preceded by a quieter noise (the pre-pulse), the response to the second, loud noise is weaker. In other words, it is inhibited.

The researchers compared responses to a loud noise both alone and after a quieter noise to see what the degree of inhibition was. Participants were 59 gay and straight men and women.

In the heterosexual women, the PPI averaged 13 percent and, in heterosexual men, 40 percent.

Lesbians, however, had a PPI of 33 percent, closer to the straight-man end of the spectrum, while gay men averaged 32 percent, slightly lower than that of straight men but not statistically significant.

The findings are consistent with other studies, which have found that certain traits in lesbians are highly "masculinized," while the same traits in gay men are almost the same as in straight men.

While it's difficult to make generalizations about gay behavior on the basis of these findings (for example, "all gay male thinking is like that of women"), it is possible to build a case for the origins of sexuality, the authors say.

"On the basis of these results and in conjunction with the bulk of the literature in the last three decades or so, the evidence points to some prenatal factor or factors [in determining sexual preference]," Rahman says.

The findings could have implications for a number of social issues.

"Actual sexual orientation and sex-related research is now being accepted as a legitimate national investment in terms of research," Rahman says. "We have problems with STDs [sexually transmitted diseases]. Understanding sexual behavior is clearly important to that."

The findings may also help illuminate sex differences in mental health issues. "Although homosexuality per se is not related to psychiatric problems, on those occasions that gays and lesbians do present with psychiatric problems, they often show disorders that are typical of the opposite sex," Rahman says. Gay men, for example, may be more likely to suffer depression, anxiety and eating disorders than their straight counterparts, while lesbians may be more vulnerable to substance abuse than heterosexual women.

"Maybe having an understanding of brain basis of sexual orientation in healthy individuals may give us some clues in what is going wrong in the brain circuitry underlying certain psychiatric problems," Rahman says. "In the future, we may be able to tailor treatments more specifically."

It's important not to draw too many generalizations. "It's not that the gay brain is like the heterosexual brain of the opposite sex. It seems to be a mosaic of male and female typical traits," Rahman says. "Because we're looking at humans, thing are always more complicated that you would expect."




More information

The University of California, Davis has more on research related to sexual orientation, as does the American Psychological Association.

[SlowwHand]

Would you change the title?

Study Suggests Sexual Orientation Is Decided Before Birth

[SlowwHand]

Well, what's the deal?
Is there a Gay convention going on again?

[Wittlich]

"Although homosexuality per se is not related to psychiatric problems, on those occasions that gays and lesbians do present with psychiatric problems, they often show disorders that are typical of the opposite sex," Rahman says.

Interesting...This reminds me of my last visit to the doctor. Evidently, I have a frozen shoulder. The doctor stated that frozen shoulders normally occur in women in their 50's. Though it is rare for a man in his early 40's to experience a frozen shoulder, it's not unheard of. Food for thought at least. Interesting article Sloww.

[Wittlich]

Of course my medical situation isn't psychological but rather physical...but it still makes one wonder...

[SlowwHand]

What it boils down to is a "not a choice".
As far as what the physical effects would be, you probably know more than I.
It would seem to follow, at least IMO.

[Nubclear]

Of course it's a choice. When the great war between good and evil was being fought,they were fencesitters...They did not immediately choose the righteous side and therefore they have been marked!

Wait. Thats what the Church said (says) about blacks...Um....

Their soul is tainted with sin. THATS better.

[Sikander]

Err, that seems to be much ado about nothing. I don't even see a suggestion of anything by the tiny data here, much less what is suggested by the title. Is this just a poorly written article?

[Wittlich]

Originally posted by Comrade Tassadar
Their soul is tainted with sin. THATS better.

....so by that line of thought, this would mean that I (or I should say all gays) were born with a tainted/sinfull soul? My, my sounds just like the sort of reasoning you would find in the Catholic church...oh wait, this is basically the belief of the Catholic church... : )

[SlowwHand]

Ignore jackasses. This isn't a religion question.

[Theben]

Too few participants to gain any valuable insight

[Dis]

screw that.

I'm going out right now to have gay sex to prove them wrong.

backdoor lounge, here I come

[Dr Strangelove]

It's all just a little too premature. For openers a larger sample group would have been nice. They took about 50 people, inherently divided into 4 groups by the study design, that makes the average group only about 12.5 people. If only one person gives a screwy response the results of his group will be thrown off by 8%. It's easy to see then that findings from studying a group so small can't really be applied to the entire human adult population. I might also point out that they haven't proven that the PPI is predetermined before birth. How do we know that a person's PPI can't change during their lifetime, or for that matter that it doesn't change from day to day, from hour to hour or from minute to minute?

[orange]

I'm fairly certain that Tass was being facetious

[Nubclear]

Orange is correct. I am simply restating the beliefs of the Mormon church.

Well, they don't believe that in public anymore. They used to, but now its politically incorrect. so officially they dont. But...

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by Wittlich


....so by that line of thought, this would mean that I (or I should say all gays) were born with a tainted/sinfull soul? My, my sounds just like the sort of reasoning you would find in the Catholic church...oh wait, this is basically the belief of the Catholic church... : )

Please make more of an effort to understand what you attack.

CCC 2538

2358. The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively dirordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

The Church doesn't view it as a sin to have homosexual tendencies, only to act on said tendencies. So unless you were practicing sodomy from the moment of birth you were not born with any extra degree of sin on your soul.

[Oerdin]

I have yet to see a viable stufy which shows aexuality is a post-birth construction instead of an after-birth construction. I have scene a lot of studies.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
The Church doesn't view it as a sin to have homosexual tendencies, only to act on said tendencies.

The reason we don't draw a distinction is like it's saying it's not a sin to have an arm, it's a sin to move it...

And don't give us that crap about some people choosing to remain celibate -- the vast majority of the people will not choose to be celibate.

[cinch]

Originally posted by Oerdin
I have yet to see a viable stufy which shows aexuality is a post-birth construction instead of an after-birth construction. I have scene a lot of studies.

Post-birth... After-birth... Are these not the same term?

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by Asher

The reason we don't draw a distinction is like it's saying it's not a sin to have an arm, it's a sin to move it...

And don't give us that crap about some people choosing to remain celibate -- the vast majority of the people will not choose to be celibate.

Within the context of the Catholic religion, celibacy is not considered to be the unimaginable curse the secular world considers it to be.

[Asher]

Are you going to remain celibate your entire life?

[Agathon]

I always wondered if homosexuality wasn't nature's way of responding to overpopulation. Hmmmm.

[Az]

Originally posted by Agathon
I always wondered if homosexuality wasn't nature's way of responding to overpopulation. Hmmmm.

Nature doesn't respond to anything.

On the article: Interesting. But those are clearly only early, though not first, steps in the discovery of the reasons behind the homosexual behavior.

[Asher]

Nature doesn't respond to anything.

psst: adaptation

[Az]

Originally posted by Asher

Quote:

Nature doesn't respond to anything.

psst: adaptation

Completely different. This is not the bio-sphere responding to a new species, but some members of the species showing some pretty strange behavior.

Look, NOT everything happens for a reason. I don't think this stuff is genetical, but probably a product of skewed brain developement. ( Otherwise, I hardly see those genes surviving the ape-man stage). Therefore, It's not as if nature's pressures would weed homosexuality out through the ages, or on the contrary, let them proliferate immensly. It's just something that happens.

[Asher]

I think you took it far, far too literally.

Plus I don't see why it's strange. Is it strange for a man and a woman to have sex when they're not specifically trying to make a baby?

Maybe I should post the gay penguin link.
http://www.jrn.columbia.edu/studentw...-06-10/591.asp

[Az]

That's sick, just sick.

Though having sex for non-reproductive purposes is rather clear (and it appears that humans didn't know that sex was the thing to bring babies, until a rather late stage), the 'target audience' is what matters.

What I am saying is, basically, that this ain't nature's way of controlling the population, or whatever. The whole concept of 'nature's way' as if nature was some sort of deity is false. But in this case, even that wrong expression is not applicable, since 'nature's way' is usually weeding out the ones that don't fit the needed criteria. But gay people are just like ordinary people in everyday behavior. And since most chances are that homosexuality is not transferrable, that path of 'weeding out' is incorrect, as well.

[Asher]

What I'm saying is you take things too literally if you seem to think that nature has a plan and/or deity.

I believe people are referring to the process of adaptation and natural selection...

[Az]

Originally posted by Asher
What I'm saying is you take things too literally if you seem to think that nature has a plan and/or deity.

I don't think so. That's the wibe I get from people that use the expression "nature's way"

I believe people are referring to the process of adaptation and natural selection...

And as I said, it has nothing to do with homosexuality.

[Asher]

Perhaps, perhaps not.

Frankly I don't care.

BTW, when people say "mother nature" do you also assume they're referring to some deity or somesuch?