The SSC’s Official Science Newspaper
e rrent January 2014
thecurrent@westernssc.ca
Volume 4 Issue 6
PSYCHOLOGY
The stages of love and the science behind them
IN THIS ISSUE...
Valentines Day, love and relationships through the scientific lens Maham Bushra Blog Manager
1. 2. 3. 4-5. 6-7. 8.8.
As February rolls around, we find ourselves surrounded once again by the old-age notion of love. Homo sapiens have been fascinated with this eerie idea since they sat around a campfire or lay to watch the stars millions of years ago. Researcher Helen Fisher of Rutgers University has spent her entire academic life attempting to unravel the mysteries of romance, sex and relationships. According to Fisher, there are three rudimentary stages of love: lust, romantic love and attachment. The first stage involves sex drive and a craving for sexual gratification. Lust can involve a wide range of partners; this stage has no element of focus or singularity. It’s when you’re walking down a street and feel an instant attraction to a complete stranger. Fisher believes lust has a natural purpose: it evolved to get humans to start searching for potential partners. “You need to feel instant sparks to start the breeding process,” she says. The second stage, attraction, emphasizes the obsession and euphoria of early love. This stage involves the integration of three fundamental brain chemicals: adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. Fisher puts it best when she says, “In romantic love, not only does this person take on special meaning, you focus your attention on them, you aggrandize them. But you have intense energy. You’re up all night. You’re walking till dawn. You feel intense elation when things are going well, mood swings into horrible despair when things are going poorly; real dependence on this person.” Romantic attraction also ignites an extreme craving for the significant other, which is both sexual and emotional in nature. In fact, researchers at University College London have discovered that people in love have lower levels of serotonin. These low levels are similar to those found in individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, explaining the obsessive, fanatical aspect of romance. Fisher’s analysis of brain scans of subjects madly in love showed an increased blood flow in brain areas with high concentrations of dopamine receptors – associated with elation, craving and addiction. Astonishingly, falling in love has the same effect as taking cocaine! “Couples often show the signs of surging dopamine: increased energy, less need for sleep or food, focused attention and exquisite delight in smallest details of this
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novel relationship,” suggests Fisher. The final stage, attachment, is the sense of security and satisfaction felt in a long-term relationship. This stage is characterized by high levels of oxytocin, which is greatly stimulated during sex. This chemical strengthens feelings of calm and comfort, and makes couples feel more intimate. Fisher believes this last stage evolved to help couples stay together after the excitement of romantic love died down so that they can raise healthy offspring together. Research by Ellen Berscheid of the University of Minnesota shows that the more individuals idealize and magnify their significant other, the more successful the attachment stage will be. As Helen Fisher beautifully puts it, “People live for love. They kill for love. They die for love. They have songs, poems, novels, sculptures, paintings, myths, legends. In over 175 societies, people have left their evidence of this powerful brain system. I have come to think it’s one of the most powerful brain systems on earth for both great joy and great sorrow.”
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The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. Its contents do not reflect the opinion of the University Students’ Council of the University of Western Ontario (“USC”). The USC assumes no responsibility or liability for any error, inaccuracy, omission or comment contained in this publication or for any use that may be made of such information by the reader.
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The Current — January 2014
LIFE NOT AS WE KNOW IT
NEUROSCIENCE
The nose knows what it wants… Smell is related to attraction in ways never imagined
Our planet is home to many awe-inspiring organisms. If you’re fascinated with life on Earth, but don’t want to get out of your chair to explore the world, here is a glimpse of a few bizarre, exotic, or unconventional creatures your lazy eyes might have otherwise never seen.
WOOD FROG
The wood frog (Rana sylvatica) is the only amphibian able to survive being frozen. These frogs live north of the Arctic Circle and can survive for weeks in a frozen state without the beating of their heart or breathing. The way the wood frogs avoid to death is through so-called “cryoprotectants”, which are basically solutes that lower the freezing temperature of the frog’s tissues. One example would be the glucose in their blood which acts as an antifreeze that concentrates on the frog’s vital organs, protecting them from damage while the rest of the body freezes solid. More than just being fascinating science, this ability to freeze and
unfreeze vital living organs and tissues without damaging them has profound implications for areas such as organ transplantation. — Yeshith Rai
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Mathura Thiyagarajah Images Editor Image Courtesy of alwaysgreenerscience.wordpress.com
COLUMN
Book: Never Let Me Go Andrew Poon Book Staff
Although set in a dystopian universe, there’s something endearing about Never Let Me Go that sets the mood for a profound story of love, friendship and fate. This is a story of three friends who grew up together, predestined to leading short lives. Kathy, now 31 years old, lived at Hailsham, a private boarding school where children were isolated from the outside world, brought up to believe that their existence was special, not only for themselves, but for the society in which they would enter. What does it really mean to love someone? Perhaps one important aspect of loving is “acceptance.” By demonstrating the best and worst of human behaviour and the power of undying love, this novel reveals many truths – that life is short, and at the end, maybe none of us may feel like we had enough time to “love”. But if you are looking for a moving science fiction novel with a valuable memory, then this novel may be for you. “Memories, even your most precious ones, fade surprisingly quickly. But I don’t go along with that. The memories I value most, I don’t ever see them fading.”
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thecurrent Caitlin Martin Newnham Editor-In-Chief website – westernssc.ca/current twitter – twitter.com/thecurrent_ssc facebook – facebook.com/thecurrentssc youtube – youtube.com/user/westernsciencesc blog – thecurrentssc.wordpress.com
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copy editors Ashima Jain, Eugene Leung & Igor Angelovski compilation editors Bethia To, Jameera Mohamed & Rajiv Lakhani creative editors Sophia Wen & Tianyi Yan features editors Rigya Arya & Maryam Golafshani images editors David DeSantis & Mathura Thiyagarajah
column editor dz marketing manager Adam Raffoul outreach editor Matt Renaud soph liaison Carly Jackson blog manager Maham Bushra youtube manager Dan Younus media editor Maddie Storvold
Anyone who has attended high school has less than fond memories of walking through a corridor of lockers and being attacked by an overpowering wave of AXE body spray or entering a stairwell with the telltale smell of a flowery (but obnoxious) perfume. Is the excessive use of colognes and perfumes an attempt to attract others or simply to hide body odour? Perhaps both motivations play a role but are artificial fragrances a solution to either? Pheromones are chemical signals that when secreted, affect the behaviour of other individuals in the same species. They are essential to the survival of various species by facilitating communication between individuals. Pheromones are also heavily involved in sexual attraction and arousal among animals. Scientists know that humans do have pheromones that are released in perspiration, saliva, urine, semen, and vaginal secretions. The question is how are these pheromones detected and whether they are significant in the human attraction. While other animals rely on the vomeronasal organ (an auxiliary olfactory sense organ) to detect pheromones, scientists are unsure as to whether this organ is functional in humans. Research claims that the genes for human pheromone receptors are found in pseudogenes and are thus not expressed. Professor Jody Culham of Western University shared her insight, “The irony of the modern Western world is that people bathe very frequently, which washes off our natural human scents. And then we cover
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ourselves in scented products with artificial additives. For example, some musks come from the anal glands of wild (civet) cats. So it seems we’d rather smell like cat butts than like humans!” Culham also advised not to fall for marketing ploys regarding pheromones, “Companies suggest that the addition of human pheromones will make the wearer more attractive to others. However, studies that have tested this have found no effect of human-pheromone colognes on perceived attractiveness or sexual behaviour.” Despite the unsolved mystery of human pheromones, Professor Culham noted that smell certainly is involved in human attraction, “There is interesting data that suggests that people are attracted to others who smell quite differently than themselves.” Every individual has their own unique immune system molecules which are collectively referred to as the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). The MHC affects the way humans smell and scientific evidence illustrates how people are often attracted to those with starkly different MHCs. “Arguably, this may be why when we meet someone who seems perfect for us we’re just not that into them.”MHC compatibility plays a strong role in mating as a means to produce the most fertile offspring. One explanation offered is that combining the genes of individuals with such different MHCs increases genetic diversity and immune protection of offspring. Interestingly, research also suggests that birth control pills can alter this response since women have felt less attracted to their partners when they later stop using the pill. So the next time you are romantically rejected, you can chalk it up to incompatible MHCs.
thecontributors
Yeshith Rai Jacek Orzylowski Vidhu Joshi
The Current — January 2014
BIOLOGY
Maca root: the solution for stamina
Getting to the root of sexual health with the warriors’ secret
Igor Angelovski Copy Editor
Its use dates as far back as the Inca civilization. The maca root was traditionally eaten by Andean warriors before going into battle as a way of increasing stamina. Not surprisingly, this ancient superfood was widely used to promote sexual health and virility. Extensive research on the maca root is now confirming its remarkable ability to boost sperm count, reduce enlarged prostates, enhance libido, assist in normal sexual functioning and even ease anxiety. Italian studies into maca have demonstrated huge success in treating erectile dysfunction (ED) patients, where only subjects treated with the plant experienced a significant improvement in physical and social performance. Likewise, Peruvian scientists treated healthy males between the ages of 21 to 56 with maca only to find that after 8 weeks, a 42 per cent increase in sexual desire was observed. It is also important to note that the maca root doesn’t alter mood or hormone levels like conventional medications and improves sexual desire without the unwanted side effects. But the benefits of this Peruvian superfood are not just limited to the needs of men. Australian researchers discovered the plant to
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COLUMN
Crazy and Stupid... For love? Margaret Ho Theme Staff
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significantly decrease psychological symptoms in women such as anxiety and depression in addition to lowering measures of sexual dysfunction. Furthermore, Chinese scientists have confirmed that maca aids in preventing bone loss due to estrogen deficiency in the women studied. Many of the remarkable qualities offered by this wondrous root can be attributed to the fact that it is an excellent adaptogen, meaning it enables the individual to adapt to external conditions, working with the body’s own natural rhythms to help rebuild systems and restore homeostasis. In fact, the herb is highly regarded as one of the best natural ways to regulate and support endocrine function and in this increasingly stressful modern lifestyle, normalizes hormonal imbalances of both men and women. Maca accomplishes this by acting on the HPA pathway, which is a precursor of male
and female hormones. The maca root naturally occurs in red, yellow and black varieties, all of which provide unique supplementary benefits. Research has shown that the antioxidant activity in black maca decreased learning and memory impairments induced by hormonal deprivation. Compounds from an extract of the black type were also responsible for an impressive increase in creation of sperm, sperm motility and proper erectile function. Red maca, on the other hand, is largely beneficial for reducing enlarged prostates without affecting any other male reproductive structures. Whether you want to take your sexual well-being to new heights or simply want to regain control of those raging hormones, the sweet taste of powdered maca is a great addition to anyone’s diet, from baked treats toworkout recovery smoothies.
Love… the perfect excuse to get away with anything. Now I’m not saying that you shouldn’t “follow your heart” and go for it, but people have taken this idea to the extreme. Forgoing education to follow someone, forgetting your life goals, murder, double suicide (yes, I’m looking at you, Juliet) – it’s all done and all in the name of “love,” or should I say, the fantasy of love, the few butterfly feelings that occur “at first sight”. What are some of the craziest things people have done for love? Patrick Moeberg knew he felt sparks fly when he saw a mysterious girl riding the subways of New York, but she escapes before he can sum up the guts to grab her number, she vanishes. But is she the one who got away? Not in these days and times. Patrick drew an incredibly detailed picture of her and posted it on his website, “www.girlofmydreams.
NEUROSCIENCE
How to pick up the right man or woman for you
Find your partner with the help of science Jacek Orzylowski Current Contributor
The second semester of school has begun and you still haven’t managed to get a date with your crush. Worse yet, you’ve tried multiple times to ramp up some mutual attraction to no avail. Maybe it’s time to admit defeat; maybe you just aren’t packing the right equipment in your genes. Though this might be a terrifying idea for university students to consider, attraction is meant to ensure reproduction that produces the most biologically fit offspring it can. While you may think you look for a partner that is funny, loving or intelligent, the real deciding factor is genetics. Tough babies need to inherit their survivability from their parents. As such, when searching for a partner, it’s their Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) you’re analyzing, not their encyclopedic knowledge of Mitch Hedberg quotes. MHC is a family of genes responsible for multiple facets of the immune system, such as the antigens that appear on cells’ membranes. The attraction between two people can be accurately predicted by how dissimilar their MHCs are. A potential couple with similar MHC might see each other more as a brother or sister, since a similarity in this gene family also denotes a possible familial relation. This is one mechanism in humans meant to discourage incest and its potential genetic drawbacks. Two people with dissimilar MHC, however, both have unique resistances to different ailments. As such, there is a greater likelihood of these two people raising a child with a strong response to multiple immunological problems, allowing
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the child to survive to adulthood and pass on their own genes. The more different your genes are, the better it is for the human race. MHC attraction therefore seems to encourage getting strange with strangers. While this theory of attraction makes sense from an evolutionary standpoint, how can a human being analyze another’s genome for sex? The answer lies with chemosensation. MHC can be subconsciously detected through sweat. The most definitive study on MHC attraction was conducted by Swiss researcher Claus Wedekind in 1995. Wedekind somehow convinced women to smell the sweaty t-shirts of the male participants in the study and rank how attractive each man smelled (they knew nothing else of the t-shirt owners). Each woman ranked the men with the most dissimilar MHCs as the most attractive.
While you may now be tempted to sniff anyone you’re interested in, there is a much less creepy way to tell whether the two of you will get along genetically: kissing. Evolutionary psychologists have long pondered the adaptive purpose of making out. “Scents and Sensibility”, an article written by Elizabeth Svoboda for Psychology Today, posits that kissing is essentially a taste test. MHC is readily present in saliva, and can be detected by whoever is fortunate enough to be kissing any of you fine readers. Looking for a partner has never been an easy task, hence the complex adaptive behaviours dedicated to finding an attractive mate for baby-making. Leave it to the poets to pine after love at first sight, when science’s cold, hard, empirical evidence recommends you keep your nose and tongue on the prize, not your eyes.
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com” along with his number, and it went viral – eventually leading her back to him. Then there’s Taylor Swift – interested at real-estate after a few chance meetings with Harry Styles…and we know how that ended. Even if you’re rich enough to own more than one house, it’s still not a great idea to become your new boyfriend’s next-door neighbor. I can’t even start to describe all the outrageous public proposals or proclamations of love these days, from basketball games, to in front of a Cinnabon in a mall food court, to a helium balloon that floated away and a swallowed ring in midst of a milk shake. The lengths some people go to achieving a ‘happy ending’ are appalling, not to mention just a tad embarrassing if the answer’s no. The most crazy declaration? …Tattooing your body with a lover’s name. Or their face, that’s been done before. It looks sweet and everlasting now, but what will it look like a few years down the line, when it’s not a Rachel anymore, but a Catherine? Fear not, tattoos aren’t completely permanent; there are ways to remove them through expensive and potentially painful methods. It’s all done in the name of love –that feeling so powerful that you’ll do anything for them. Like writing 365 letters a year, or refusing to get off the Titanic in a life boat, or chasing ‘the one’ half way across the globe. It’s the exhilarating, undeniable attraction you feel to another person. The drive. Or maybe it’s because everyone, deep down inside, wants that fairy tale ending.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN
W
hile, of course, both men and women, look for traits like kindness, intelligence, and a sense of humour in potential partners, they weigh the importance of certain qualities differently. Evolution has affected the characteristics men and women look for in a mate in order to sustain life.
AGE Generally, men prefer women who are younger than them while women prefer men around their own age or older. This pattern is seen globally. This trend can be understood from an evolutionary perspective: men want to mate with fertile women to ensure that their genes are passed on to the next generation. Women have a limited range of years when child bearing is possible. Men are much less restricted by age.
SEXUAL CLUES Men and women can perceive the same event differently. Males perceive more sexuality than females in nearly any interaction with a potential partner in heterosexual settings. This is true whether the men are a part of the interaction or simply viewing it. Consequently, due to misreading of the ongoing interaction, men may initiate sexual behaviour that is too intimate. This relates to the transparency illusion which is a tendency for people to believe their mental state is more transparent and easily understood by others than it actually is.
HUMOUR In North America, humour is the most desired trait in a partner. Women value humour-generation in a partner more than men. Men, on the other hand, value humour-appreciation more than women in a partner.
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Hearts can never be practical until they can become unbreakable.
– THE WIZARD OF OZ
PICKINESS Although both men and women list intelligence as a positive characteristic they look for in a mate, the importance of this factor varies for men and women differently depending on the expected time length of that relationship. A study by Kenrick et al. in 1993 demonstrated this relationship very well. A sample of students were asked about the minimum percentile of intelligence they would accept in considering someone for a date, a sexual partner, a steady dating partner, and a marriage partner. For a single date, women said they would like someone slightly above average in intelligence. As the commitment increased, so did the desire of intelligence. Men reported similar criteria for intelligence in potential partners as women in all of the categories except that of a sexual partner. Here, men had a significantly lower intelligence requirement. Females become increasingly selective in their choice of mate as chance of conception increases. Men are selective for long term relationships where they will be investing a lot of resources. However, for low investment situations, men’s criteria for potential partner is considerably lower. This can be explained through the parental investment hypothesis. Women are more selective in their choice of sexual mates because there is no low investment sexual encounter for women as they can possibly become pregnant.
STATUS Women tend to weigh status more heavily than men as an important trait to have in a partner. This is because women look for a mate that will be able to provide resources for the offspring. Women have to carry the baby and have tended to be the ones to take care of the child as well; historically, they depend on their partner to provide financially to their family. Through evolution, women have been programmed to give preference to mates who have resources to ensure the care and support of the offspring. So, perhaps, ‘gold diggers’ are not shallow but simply very concerned about the security of their future offspring? The idea of human brains being evolutionarily programmed to search for certain sorts of mates may seem daunting. But fear not! Although evolutionary ‘success’ for our ancestors may have depended on scanning potential mates on what now seems like superficial characteristics such as wealth, this is not completely the case in modern society. As gender equality and opportunities for women in the work force increases, dependence on these qualities for offspring ‘success’ decreases. In egalitarian countries, people are less restrained by sex roles.
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Finding Love
The Current — January 2014
Are chick flicks bad for you? A logical look at romantic movies
Dz Shreyesh Dalmia Love Guru
Pheromones are in the air! Its February aka Valentine season and money-making time for Hallmark as love-struck masses rush to buy gifts for their special someone. But what drives a person to put in so much effort for someone else? More importantly, The BIG mystery … what exactly is love? Scientifically speaking, love can be broken down into three stages: lust, attraction, and attachment. A different set of hormones, ranging from testosterone to serotonin is deemed important in the process of love. While the combination of pheromones and a person’s appearance are important biological mechanisms for appraising an individual’s genetic strengths, it is more often that person’s personality and behaviour that ultimately determine whether the “love” can last.
Column Editor Chick flicks, a taboo for most guys, might be the source of the biggest problems in relationships. There are 5 main parts of a perfect relationship in romantic movies. The Chase: This is a large part of the thrill and butterfly-inducing factor in a movie. But honestly, sometimes the movie is entirely about the chase. I have friends blatantly telling me that sometimes they don’t want a relationship just because it ends “the chase”. Conflict 1: This is right before the chase ends, where a misunderstanding or the fatherly disapproval occurs (I’m looking at you, Nicholas Sparks) thereby making an image of impossible love. Who Cares: Sometimes conflict 1 is never even resolved, but the two end up falling in love anyways, building a relationship through long distance letters or phone calls, and seem like all is good and forever is real. Conflict 2/Catharsis: Conflict two is to show
Many people delve too far into these storylines and although these movies can be “based on a true story”, they are stories of very specific relationships and instance that will very unfortunately probably never happen. Even from personal experiences, I know that a lot of chick flicks give us unrealistic expectations that are never realized and cause us to blame our partners for the source of our unhappiness when in actuality, it isn’t our partner’s fault. Although it might be Image Courtesy of wkrq.com heartbreaking to accept, Edward Cullen simply doesn’t exist. Nothing can be perfect, but in movthat the relationship cannot be happily ever after ies they are. Sometimes we are so set on molding and usually presents itself in a form such as mov- a relationship to fit a movie-plot that we begin ing away or a life threatening disease/condition. to take things for granted instead of appreciating. Even to extremes, some people may bring Tears are present during conflict 2. From here, the movies diverge into separate up fights just to try to recreate that emotionally heart-gripping scene from that movie. categories: My conclusion on chick flicks is that they will Happily Ever After: Cancer? No problem. Cancer only be bad if you obsess over them. As long as is gone! Tragedy: Classic Romeo and Juliet-esque type you know the distinction between movie and of story where one or both of the main protago- reality, they won’t hurt. Relationships are not nists die. From my super extensive knowledge of meant to be a predisposed movie fantasy. You are chick flicks… usually the tragedy builds up, but the writers and protagonists of your own romantic story and you are not Nicholas Sparks. ends pretty abruptly (One Day).
PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY
Rising to the occasion
The science of sexual arousal and orgasm Jameera Mohamed Compilation Editor
Sex - the dance with no pants, shagging, knocking boots, chasing beaver, hiding the sausage or whatever you choose to call it all - begins with arousal and hopefully ends in an orgasm, and not blue balls for you males. It is meant to be a pleasurable experience for both partners, so why not learn just how your partner is responding when aroused so next time you’re getting lucky it is that much better. Sexual arousal is the desire for sex that is made up of both physiological and psychological responses. Of course, men and women are very different in both aspects and consequently so are some of their responses.
PHYSIOLOGICAL
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As a certified Love Guru, my take on love is relatively simple: you find someone intriguing (whether it is due to their appearance or personality), spend time with him or her and bond to the point where you can’t see yourself with anyone else.
MEN The main physical response to sexual arousal by males is very obvious; there is the increased blood flow to the penis resulting in pitching a tent. Other physiological responses may be less noticeable but include: swelling of the testes, tensing and tightening of the scrotum, increased heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. According to Cindy Meston, Ph.D., at the University of Texas at Austin, arousal in males is easier simply because of their genitalia. She also found that there is a correlation between the erectile response and how aroused a male says they are. Post Orgasm: Men experience a sense of relaxation due to the release of neurohormones oxytocin and prolactin. Males also experience a refractory period that can range from short periods of time in young, highly aroused individuals to hours or days in older men.
WOMEN Women are a little more complicated when it comes to their sexual arousal. When aroused there is increased blood flow to the genitals causing swelling and hardening of the clitoris. In addition to this, there is lubrication and enlargement of the internal part of the vagina. Similarly to males, there is also increased heart rate, blood pressure and breathing. According to a study by Meston, there is a low, if any, correlation between a woman’s physical responses and how aroused she says she is. Post Orgasm: The aftermath of orgasm varies from woman to woman. Some do not want further stimulation and their sexual arousal is lost very quickly, while others can experience further stimulation and may enjoy multiple O’s. As women age, there is a reduction in estrogen and that causes varying degrees of changes to all aspects of sexual arousal and orgasm.
PSYCHOLOGICAL
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Relationships don’t always work out and thus we become obsessed with finding the secret to success in love, but just showing someone how much they mean to you will often suffice. So, whether you are single, in a stable relationship or testing the field, if there is someone to whom you find yourself attracted to, don’t hesitate and just go for it. Now get to work!
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How does sexual stimuli result in sexual arousal? It begins with evaluation and categorization by the brain and end in a physiological response. Sexual stimuli vary among individuals so find what works for you and your partner. For example, it can be a hot thought, a sexy image, a feeling of closeness to a partner or the touch of a partner (particularly to the genital area). The brain will interpret these signals and result in sexual arousal. Interestingly, what sex looks like in the brain is almost the same for men and women (great minds think alike). The Pleasure Centre of the Brain Many parts of the brain get stimulated during sexual arousal. Amygdala – Processes memories, emotion, fear and safety • Decreased activity during arousal, increasing fearlessness and decreasing anxiety Nucleus Accumbens and Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA)– Controls and releases Dopamine • Nucleus accumbens controls the release of dopamine • VTA releases dopamine • Dopamine makes you sexy: increases your attraction to your partner Cerebellum – Controls muscle function • Like Olivia Newton-John said: “Let’s get physical” Pituitary Gland – releases beta-endorphins, oxytocin, prolactin and vasopressin • Beta-endorphins: decrease pain • Oxytocin (the cuddle hormone): increases feelings of trust, warmth, security • Prolactin: decreases levels of sex hormones (estrogen and testosterone) • Vasopressin: increases bonding Lateral Orbitofrontal Cortex – Behavioural control • Shuts down during orgasm as you lose control Pre-optic area of the Hypothalamus – regulates mating behaviour • 2.2 times larger in males and contains twice as many cells • Size depends on the amount of male hormones and androgens (only place size matters) Periaqueductal Gray – plays a role in pain • Only activated in women • May be the cause of an association between pain and pleasure for those S&M lovers
Orgasmic Facts:
• Female orgasm requires stimulation of the clitoris • Men get aroused quicker and experience shorter orgasms compared to women • How fast you become aroused or reach orgasm depends on many factors such as: stress levels, fatigue, drunkenness or cigarette smoking and whether you like your partner or not • Brain map of women who faked an orgasm is very different from one who experienced an orgasm
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The Current — January 2014
SCIENCE STUDENTS’ COUNCIL
Family love spread to the community
Science Students’ Council gives back to Ronald McDonald House Vidhu Joshi
Current Contributor Family. Family is the most important, and in my opinion, it is the most unique thing in the world. It is caring, it is forgiving, it is selfless, but most of all, it is loving. A family’s love is purer than any vice and stronger than any foe. It is a love so powerful that it stays with us wherever we are. I think that we have all experienced the unmatched power of a family’s love at some point in our lives. I felt it this past year when my grandfather, who is now resting peacefully, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Cancer is a ferocious foe - it takes the love of a much larger family to defeat it. In my experience, the oncologist that sat with my grandfather for hours before finishing all of her rounds, the nurse that called my grandfather Papa, and the pharmacist that personally delivered my grandfather’s medication are all family. Their love and support is what kept my grandfather striving for the extra mile. This year, the Science Students’ Council is involved with the Ronald McDonald House (RMH) of Southwestern Ontario. The staff and volunteers of the RMH do exactly what so many people did for my family. They take care of the day-to-day errands that take time away from the family, time that should be spent with their ill child. Time is so unbelievably precious and I knew that if I could give mine to allow a family to cherish theirs, the SSC Charity Committee was the right place for me. What about everyone else on SSC Charity? Why was SSC Charity the right place for them? I had the opportunity to hear stories from some committee members and everyone has a different story. Some are about themselves, some are about brothers and sisters, and some are about parents and other family members. What stood out to me was the one thing that every single story had in common: family. It is the unrequited love of a family that we all want to
Has your partner or friend ever made a joke that was simply not funny? That is because there are some jokes that should be reserved for the people you love, and others that should ultimately never be uttered. The following is a list of humour do’s and don’ts when introducing laughter into your love life and friendships. Tense situations: Do use laughter in tense situations if you know your close one will find the joke or quip funny. This will relieve tension and allow for productive conversation about the topic. give back. The moment that we became a part of this cause, we all became brothers and sisters of the kids undergoing treatment in London so we could offer our love and laughter to those kids. We became the sons and daughters of all the parents staying at the Ronald McDonald House, who promise to take care of daily errands so all of our parents could spend more time with their ill child. For me, SSC Charity is a family of compassionate students that have all had a pivotal experience during their lives that has shown them the positive change that a family’s love and support can bring about. There are only 17 of us. But I honestly know that there are hundreds, if not thousands of students at Western that have had a similar experience. Therefore there are thousands of students that should become a part of our work with the Ronald McDonald House.
SSC Charity is very proud of Western students. In the first semester alone, our fellow Mustangs donated over 1000 hours of their time to the House. It is an enormous achievement, but we want to aim higher. If thousands of students understand the meaning of a family’s love, then we hope that our students put in a thousand more hours by the end of this year. To volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House, you only need to know what love is and how to share it. As a school, we are one big family. Let’s show the London community what family really means to us by making every child and every parent at the Ronald McDonald House a member of the Western family. Remember, love always grows, even in times of struggle. There is nothing as pure and as strong as love, and there is never enough of it. Keep making it grow. Volunteer with the Ronald McDonald House.
A scientific analysis of the international day of love
Seriously, Valentine’s Day is a waste of time. I don’t mean for the usual reasons that people state: the infiltration of capitalism, the fact that people don’t need to do anything special on this day specifically because society demands it and it’s not the fact that I’m lonely and single and will never end up with anyone because I hate it because everyone else hates it, it’s because you’re doing it wrong. Scientifically. Let’s go for the classic: the candle-lit dinner. Sure, the low lighting and the soft classical music relaxes you, soothes out any tension that you might be feeling and dilates your pupils to seem like arousal is happening, but look at it from another sense. You are, in essence, pick-
How to use humour in relationships Editor-in-Chief
Valentine’s day... you’re doing it wrong Copy Editor
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Caitlin Martin Newnham
OPINION
Eugene Leung
COLUMN
ing your husband or wife during this time. You really think if you walk into a car dealership and that only source of lighting were candles, that you would really be buying a car under those circumstances? Hell no. If you’re going to go on a date – with a new person, not a romantic partner you’ve been banging seeing for a long time – go to some place where you can actually see the person instead of batting your eyelashes at what you think is your date, when in reality it turns out to be the waiter. Not only that, hugging or cuddling them after the date might be disastrous; cuddling or hugging releases neurotransmitters, specifically oxytocin, in your brain that creates a sense of trust between you and your hug-ee, so if you don’t want to trust someone, don’t hug them (In other words, hormones screw things up). It also turns out over time, that even
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the sight of one’s romantic partner can release oxytocin, which probably means you’re going to have to walk around blindfolded to prevent that from happening. Now to end this on a happier note, those in a relationship and believe them to be your soulmate should be happy (Note, this next part requires some shoddy math and logic on my behalf ). There’s 7 billion people in the world, and we’ll assume you’re not a bisexual male or female. So just that criteria alone eliminates about ½ the people to 3.5 billion. We’ll have to eliminate the people who don’t speak English (assuming you only speak English) and that leaves us with about 720.3 million straight, English speaking males or females. So already, you have a 1 in 720 million chance of meeting your soulmate. The average life expectancy for Canada is 80 years on average. Now, the average age of an undergraduate student at Western (sorry graduates, you get shafted here) is 19-20; we’ll use 20 here as our baseline. I still have 60 years to go before I die of natural causes, which means I have about 21 thousand days to live, assuming I don’t get hit by a truck or end up in some tragic accident. On average, a person meets 2 new people every single day in their lifetime, which means you will meet 43 thousand people from now until you die. So calculated, there is a 0.00005% chance that I will meet my soulmate. That is roughly to be 1:200000, which means I could die about ten times in an airplane crash or die by a meteorite crashing into my head than actually meet my soulmate. So hang onto your partners, people; you could instead die ten times over in a plane crash.
Don’t tease, ridicule or use sarcasm if the situation is tense — this will only make things worse! Your partner or friend will interpret these types of jokes as you being flippant.
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Problem solving: Do use humour to lighten the mood to ease the process of solving problems. Positive humour can produce innovative thinking and inhibition, therefore, lending to solving problems. Don’t use humour if it is preventing you from constructively discussing the problem. Humour that is unrelated from the topic or negative in nature will distract from the problem, act as a Band-Aid, or make your partner believe that you don’t truly care about solving the problem. Face-saving: Do use humour to test out your thoughts with your friend or partner if you are unsure of the reaction that you will get. This will allow you to present sensitive, taboo or controversial concerns and ideas without committing to them, and potentially ruining a relationship. Don’t use humour to dismiss your partners’ concerns or ideas. If they are divulging new or controversial concepts, they will be looking for support and comfort. Making jokes in this situation will not make your friend or partner feel either of these things! Teasing: Do use teasing if you are close enough to your friend or partner for them to understand that it is a joke. This mutual understanding that a negative comment is actually a joke will bring you closer together. Don’t use teasing if you are in a new relationship because it will often lead to misunderstanding and a negative affect from the recipient. The teasing will only drive a wedge between you if the comments are not understood as jokes.
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Across 2. the largest artery in the body 4. the scale of measuring wind speed is named after _______. 5. a seasonal mental illness 7. name of extra rib generally caused by TOS 8. mites that grow on eye lashes that can also cause acne 9. the Roman goddess of love and beauty for which a planet is named after 11. the first new species of this mammal since 1918 was discovered in Brazil 12. typically involves a dangerously low body temperature 13. hormone released during orgasm Down 2. surgical procedure that involves one hemisphere of the brain being removed 3. lights caused by the collisions between gaseous particles in our atmosphere and charged particles from the sun 5. Canadian word for reindeer 6. the brain uses this amino acid (found in chocolate) to make seratonin 10. Scottish Nobel Laureate born on February 14th
The Current — January 2014
Last Time’s Crossword Answers Across
Down
1 snowflake, 4 hibernation, 8 cortisol, 9 wax, 11 polarnight, 12 freezing, 13 Newton
2 wintersolstice, 3 viscumalbum, 5 caribou, 6 Northpole, 7 tryptophan, 8 conifer, 10 iceberg
Email: thecurrent@westernssc.ca Web: westernssc.ca