Lakhsassi Lara, Borg Dr. Charmaine, de Jong Prof. Peter J

(85) THE INFLUENCE OF SEXUAL AROUSAL & DISGUST ON PAIN

  • Urology
  • Reproductive Medicine
  • Endocrinology
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism
  • Psychiatry and Mental health
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Abstract Objectives It have previously been demonstrated that inducing sexual arousal in the laboratory can modulate pain in men; but this effect has yet to be demonstrated in women. One explanation could be that for women, the erotic slides used to induce sexual arousal (SA) were not potent enough to elicit a lasting primed state of SA by the time pain was induced. Another explanation could be that disgust was inadvertently induced in women who viewed the erotic film. The current two studies will shed light on these questions. Methods Healthy female participants were randomly distributed across conditions and asked to view their respective film while using a cold pressor test (CPT). Visual analogue scales were used to measure pain intensity, and the time participants kept their hand in the cold water was used to measure pain tolerance. CONDITIONS: Study 1 (N = 151): SA (pornographic film), generalized arousal (parkour film), distraction (neutral film with counting task), control (neutral film without counting). Study 2 (N = 174): SA (pornographic film), disgust (vomiting film), and control (neutral film). In Study 2, we also assessed whether the pornographic film may have inadvertently elicited disgust, potentially countering the pain modulatory effects that viewing the pornographic film might otherwise have had. Results Study 1: SA did not reduce subjective pain. Generalized arousal and distraction did not result in stronger analgesic effects than the neutral (baseline) condition. Study 2: SA did not reduce subjective pain, but participants found the erotic stimulus, on average, nearly as disgusting as it was sexually arousing. Conclusions The findings do not support the hypothesis that SA modulates subjective pain in women as yet, but this may be due to the erotic stimulus eliciting disgust, which, in turn, may counter the pain modulatory effects that sexual arousal might otherwise have. A follow-up study will clarify this question. Conflicts of Interest None.

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