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Evidence for a curvilinear relationship between sympathetic nervous system activation and women's physiological sexual arousal
Author(s) -
Lorenz Tierney Ahrold,
Harte Christopher B.,
Hamilton Lisa Dawn,
Meston Cindy M.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2011.01285.x
Subject(s) - arousal , sexual arousal , psychology , sex organ , sympathetic nervous system , low arousal theory , sympathetic activity , autonomic nervous system , audiology , heart rate , heart rate variability , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , neuroscience , medicine , blood pressure , biology , genetics
There is increasing evidence that women's physiological sexual arousal is facilitated by moderate sympathetic nervous system ( SNS ) activation. Literature also suggests that the level of SNS activation may play a role in the degree to which SNS activity affects sexual arousal. We provide the first empirical examination of a possible curvilinear relationship between SNS activity and women's genital arousal using a direct measure of SNS activation in 52 sexually functional women. The relationship between heart rate variability ( HRV ), a specific and sensitive marker of SNS activation, and vaginal pulse amplitude ( VPA ), a measure of genital arousal, was analyzed. Moderate increases in SNS activity were associated with higher genital arousal, while very low or very high SNS activation was associated with lower genital arousal. These findings imply that there is an optimal level of SNS activation for women's physiological sexual arousal.