Sexual dysfunctions -- an evolutionary perspective | Menelaos Apostolou | TEDxUniversityofNicosia

Summary

This script delves into sexual dysfunctions, highlighting their prevalence and the societal implications. It explores the evolutionary perspective, suggesting that variation in sexual functioning is due to weak selection pressures in ancestral societies where mate choice was regulated. The speaker argues that what is now considered dysfunction is often a normal variation, exacerbated by modern societal changes. The talk concludes by encouraging individuals to address sexual issues if they cause personal distress, framing it as a common and normal aspect of human diversity.

Takeaways

• 🔎 A sexual dysfunction is defined as a difficulty experienced by an individual or couple during any stage of normal sexual activity, such as pain or inability to achieve orgasm.
• 👤 Approximately 30% of adult men and 40% of women suffer from at least one type of sexual dysfunction, with men most commonly experiencing premature ejaculation and women most often reporting low sexual desire.
• 🤔 The high prevalence of sexual dysfunctions raises questions about their causes, which may include poor mental and physical health, but these factors do not fully explain the issue.
• 🧬 An evolutionary perspective suggests that our bodies have mechanisms that regulate sexual functioning, and that there has been considerable variation in these mechanisms due to weak selection pressures during human evolutionary time.
• 👃 Just as there is variation in physical traits like nose size, there is variation in sexual functioning, and this variation has been maintained in the population due to weak selection pressures.
• 🌐 Anthropological and historical records indicate that in ancestral societies, mate choice was regulated, and individual preferences for sexual satisfaction were less important.
• 🚫 In pre-industrial societies, a woman's sexual satisfaction was not a primary concern, which may explain why there is variation in men's ejaculation latency times.
• 🔄 The shift to modern societies where mate choice is not regulated has led to new challenges, as men now need to provide sexual satisfaction to maintain relationships, potentially leading to issues like premature ejaculation being labeled as dysfunctions.
• 💔 Low sexual desire in women can cause friction in relationships in modern contexts where consent is required for sexual activity, which was not the case in regulated mate choice societies.
• 💡 While sexual dysfunctions may be a normal variation, they can cause significant problems in modern relationships, suggesting that individuals should seek help if they are dissatisfied with their sexual functioning.

Q & A

What is the definition of sexual dysfunction according to the script?

Sexual dysfunction is defined as a difficulty that an individual or a couple experiences during any stage of normal sexual activity, such as feeling pain or being unable to experience orgasm.

What are the most common sexual dysfunctions in men and women?

For men, the most common sexual dysfunction is premature ejaculation, followed by erectile difficulties and lack of interest in sex. For women, the most common ones are lack of interest in sex, difficulties experiencing orgasm, and pain during intercourse.

What percentage of adult men and women suffer from sexual dysfunctions?

Approximately 30% of adult men and about 40% of women suffer from or have at least one manifested sexual dysfunction.

Why might poor mental and physical health be associated with sexual dysfunctions?

Poor mental health, such as depression, can lead to a lack of interest in sex, and physical health issues, like cardiovascular problems, might affect erectile functioning, which can contribute to sexual dysfunctions.

How does the evolutionary perspective explain the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions?

The evolutionary perspective suggests that our bodies have mechanisms that regulate sexual functioning, and that there may have been weak selection pressures during human evolutionary time, leading to considerable variation in sexual functioning.

What is the role of anthropological and historical records in understanding sexual dysfunctions?

Anthropological and historical records provide evidence that in ancestral societies, mate choice was regulated, and this context of regulated choice might have led to the variation in sexual functioning that we see today, which can cause problems in modern societies where mate choice is not regulated.

Why might a man who ejaculates quickly not have been at a disadvantage in ancestral societies?

In ancestral societies, women did not have a choice of mate, and men did not need to provide sexual satisfaction for their partners. Therefore, a man who ejaculated quickly would not be at a disadvantage in terms of reproductive success.

How does the concept of 'mate choice' relate to the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions today?

In modern societies, where mate choice is not regulated and individuals can choose their partners, there is an expectation for sexual satisfaction. This can lead to the labeling of certain variations in sexual functioning, like premature ejaculation or low sexual desire, as dysfunctions because they may cause friction in relationships.

What does the speaker suggest for individuals experiencing sexual dysfunctions?

The speaker suggests that while sexual dysfunctions are common and often a normal variation, if they cause problems or dissatisfaction, individuals should consider seeking help or working on improving their sexual functioning.

How does the speaker use the analogy of nose size to explain the concept of normal variation?

The speaker uses the analogy of nose size to illustrate that normal variation exists in human characteristics, and just because a characteristic varies and is normal, it doesn't mean it can't cause problems. If the variation causes issues, like a large nose affecting self-esteem, one might consider altering it, similar to addressing sexual dysfunctions.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding Sexual Dysfunctions

The speaker introduces the topic of sexual dysfunctions, defining them as difficulties experienced by individuals or couples during any stage of sexual activity. Common examples include pain during intercourse and difficulty achieving orgasm. The speaker highlights the high prevalence of these dysfunctions, noting that about 30% of men and 40% of women suffer from sexual dysfunctions. Men commonly experience premature ejaculation, erectile difficulties, and lack of interest in sex, while women often face low sexual desire, difficulty achieving orgasm, and pain during intercourse. The speaker questions why these dysfunctions are so common and explores possible mental and physical health causes but notes that most people experiencing dysfunctions are otherwise healthy.

05:00

🌿 Evolutionary Explanation of Sexual Dysfunction

The speaker introduces an evolutionary perspective, suggesting that sexual dysfunctions may result from weak evolutionary selection pressures. Using an example of nose size, the speaker explains that during human evolution, traits such as nose shape and size were not strongly selected for, resulting in wide variation. Similarly, there may have been weak selection pressures on sexual functioning, which could explain the variation in sexual desire and functioning among individuals. The speaker mentions anthropological records from pre-industrial societies where mate choices were regulated by parents, and sexual satisfaction was a secondary concern, further influencing these evolutionary outcomes.

10:03

🔄 Ejaculation Latency and Sexual Satisfaction

The speaker delves into the concept of ejaculation latency time, explaining that in pre-industrial societies, a man's quick ejaculation did not affect his reproductive success because mate choice was regulated, and women's sexual satisfaction was not a priority. Both predispositions for fast and delayed ejaculation remained in the population, leading to the variation we see today. In modern societies, however, women have more choice in partners, and men's ability to satisfy their partners sexually has become more important. This shift has led to the labeling of quick ejaculation as 'premature ejaculation,' despite it being a normal variation.

15:04

💡 Evolutionary Perspective on Female Sexual Desire

The speaker applies the evolutionary perspective to female sexual desire, explaining that in ancestral societies, women with low or high sexual desire were equally likely to reproduce because mate choice was regulated, and women's consent for sex was not required. However, in modern societies, where women have more control over their sexual choices, low sexual desire can lead to relationship conflicts and is often classified as a dysfunction. Despite this, the speaker emphasizes that such variation is normal and not an indication of illness or abnormality.

🔍 Normal Variation and the Importance of Self-Improvement

The speaker concludes by reinforcing the idea that sexual dysfunctions are often just normal variations in human sexual functioning. However, the speaker advises that if these variations cause distress or problems in one's personal life, individuals should consider seeking solutions to improve their sexual functioning. They use the example of someone with a large nose who might seek plastic surgery despite their nose being a normal variation. Similarly, those dissatisfied with their sexual experiences should consider taking steps to improve them, even though the variations are natural and common.

Keywords

💡Sexual Dysfunction

Sexual dysfunction refers to difficulties experienced during any phase of sexual activity, such as pain during intercourse or the inability to reach orgasm. In the video, it is the central theme and is described as a common issue affecting 30% of men and 40% of women. The video explores the causes and types of sexual dysfunctions, such as premature ejaculation in men and low sexual desire in women.

💡Premature Ejaculation

Premature ejaculation is a sexual dysfunction where men ejaculate sooner than desired during sexual activity. It is mentioned as the most common sexual dysfunction in men. The video discusses how in ancestral times, this condition would not have affected a man's reproductive success, but in modern contexts, it is viewed as a problem due to changing sexual dynamics and expectations.

💡Ejaculation Latency Time

Ejaculation latency time refers to the amount of time it takes for a man to ejaculate after beginning sexual intercourse. In the video, it is used as an example to explain how natural variation in sexual functions has been influenced by evolutionary pressures. The speaker explains that weaker selection pressures in the past have led to the wide variation in this function today.

💡Low Sexual Desire

Low sexual desire is a condition where individuals, particularly women, experience reduced interest in sexual activity. The video highlights it as one of the most common sexual dysfunctions among women, with approximately 40% of women affected. It also explains how, historically, a woman’s sexual desire did not influence her reproductive success due to arranged marriages, which differs from modern dynamics where consent plays a major role.

💡Evolutionary Perspective

The evolutionary perspective in the video refers to understanding human sexual behavior and dysfunctions through the lens of evolution. The speaker argues that certain sexual dysfunctions may persist today because evolutionary forces did not place strong selection pressures on sexual functioning, leading to variations in sexual behavior such as ejaculation timing and sexual desire.

💡Weak Selection Pressures

Weak selection pressures refer to evolutionary forces that did not strongly favor one trait over another, leading to a broad range of variation in that trait. The video uses this concept to explain why there is significant variation in sexual behaviors such as ejaculation timing and sexual desire, as these traits were not critical for reproductive success in ancestral times.

💡Pre-Industrial Societies

Pre-industrial societies are communities that rely on hunting, gathering, or early agriculture and pastoralism for their subsistence. The video uses these societies as a comparison to modern times to explain how mate choice was often regulated, and sexual satisfaction was not a primary concern, leading to variations in sexual functioning that persist today.

💡Mate Choice

Mate choice refers to the selection of a partner for reproduction. The video explains how in ancestral and pre-industrial societies, mate choice was often regulated by parents or the community, rather than individuals. This regulation influenced sexual functioning, as men and women had less need to prioritize sexual satisfaction in their relationships, unlike in modern societies.

💡Anthropological Record

The anthropological record consists of studies and observations of pre-industrial and ancient societies that provide insights into human evolution and social structures. In the video, the speaker refers to this record to explain how sexual behaviors in modern societies may be influenced by the norms of past societies, such as arranged marriages and regulated mate choice.

💡Normal Variation

Normal variation refers to the range of differences in sexual behaviors that are not necessarily pathological but are part of the natural spectrum of human functioning. The video emphasizes that many sexual dysfunctions, such as low sexual desire or premature ejaculation, are simply variations in human behavior, not indicators of illness or abnormality, although they can cause problems in modern relationships.

Highlights

Sexual dysfunction is a difficulty during any stage of normal sexual activity.

30% of adult men suffer from sexual dysfunction, with premature ejaculation being the most common.

40% of women suffer from at least one sexual dysfunction, with lack of interest in sex being the most prevalent.

People with one sexual dysfunction often have another, indicating a complex interplay of issues.

Mental and physical health can affect sexual functioning, but they do not fully explain the prevalence of sexual dysfunctions.

An evolutionary perspective suggests that our bodies have mechanisms that regulate sexual functioning.

Variation in sexual functioning may be due to weak selection pressures during human evolutionary time.

Anthropological and historical records indicate that mate choice was regulated in ancestral societies.

In ancestral societies, a man's ejaculation latency time did not significantly impact his reproductive success.

Today, a man's ability to satisfy his partner sexually is crucial for maintaining relationships.

Premature ejaculation is a modern label for a variation that was not problematic in regulated mate choice societies.

In pre-industrial societies, a woman's sexual desire did not affect her reproductive success as much as it might today.

Low sexual desire in women can now lead to relationship friction due to the need for mutual consent in modern relationships.

Sexual dysfunctions are common and normal variations, but they can cause problems in contemporary society.

It's important to understand the evolutionary context of sexual functioning to appreciate the variation observed today.

If sexual dysfunction causes personal distress, it may be worth addressing despite being a normal variation.

Transcripts

e

can you hear me yes you can um so that's

a nice morning uh full of uh

sex yeah that's good that's how mornings

should be um okay so I will talk about

sexual dysfunctions uh today uh I will

try to understand what's going on there

what uh causes them and uh my starting

point uh will be what is a sexual

dysfunction uh a sexual dysfunction is a

difficulty that an individual or a

couple phases uh during any stage of

normal sexual activity so if you're

having sex uh and um uh you feel pain

you experience pain or you cannot

experience orgasm that would classify as

a sexual

dysfunction uh the interesting thing the

surprising thing with sexual

dysfunctions is how common they are so

if we take men approximately 30% of

adult men uh suffer from have a

manifested sexual dysfunction the most

common one is premature ejaculation

followed by erectile difficulties and

lack of interest in sex um for woman

things are a bit uh worse um

approximately sorry 40% of women uh

suffer from uh or have at least one

manifested sexual dysfunction uh the

most common one is lack of interest in

sex uh followed by uh difficulties

experiencing orgasm uh and pain during

intercourse um and I'm saying at least

one because uh people who have a sexual

one sexual dysfunction usually have

another as well so if a woman uh has a

low sexual desire it's quite likely that

she also has uh difficulties

experiencing orgasm or uh she has pain

during

intercourse okay so overall it seems

that uh uh at least one in Three Men and

almost half uh of woman uh have uh a

sexual dysfunction that's a very high

prevalence which leads to the question

why what causes this and uh um some good

candidates would say is poor uh mental

health and poor physical health so for

in instance if you are if you suffer

from depression you don't feel H like

having sex obviously um and uh if you

have some cardiovascular problems then

um this might affect your erectile F

functioning but uh most of the people

who uh have uh a sexual dysfunction are

mentally and physically healthy that is

these factors do not really EXP explain

um uh sexual

dysfunctions um yes they have an effect

but in most of the cases they just don't

explain this and this made me curious

just try to figure out why what what

really causes them why we have such a

high prevalence of sexual dysfunctions

and uh to answer this um I employed an

evolutionary perspective now in The

evolutionary perspective our body is a

collection of mechanisms or adaptations

um that enable us

um to survive and reproduce that what

what they do so in this uh perspective

we have specific mechanisms which

regulate sexual

functioning which brings me to the

question of why uh evolutionary forces

have allowed considerable variation in

sexual functioning so if we take women

for instance uh there are woman a lot of

women who have low sexual desire and a

woman who have high sexual desire the

question is why um evolutionary forces

have not saved a woman all woman to have

low sexual desire or even better high

sexual desire um and one answer one

possible answer is that uh there have

been weak selection pressures during uh

human uh evolutionary

time and I can demonstrate what I mean

by that with a different

example so um when

uh lights go up uh uh when this night

session ends you will notice uh that

people's noses are very different that

is they vary in size and uh shape why

why not everybody's nose is the same

well one answer is part of the answer is

that um during a human evolution um um

there have been weak selection pressures

on uh nose is size and shape that is to

say uh an individual with a

predisposition to have a small nose was

not better off in terms of survival or

reproductive success than an individual

um who had a predisposition to have a

moderate Siz nose um as a consequence

all predispositions remained in the

population and what we have is this or

what you will see when the lights go

up so perh perhaps this was also the

case um uh with sexual functioning that

is in certain aspect in specific um uh

areas of sexual functioning maybe in the

past there had been weak selection

pressures and as a consequence we have

considerable

variation now the bad news is that we

cannot go back in time to see what was

there yet we can get an idea and we can

get an idea uh using evidence from the

anthropological

record all right so what was happening

is that in the past uh our ancestors

used to live in small bands of people

who based their subsistance on hunting

and Gathering uh and later on in human

evolutionary time on agropastoralism now

there are modern societies today um

which are pre-industrial and they base

their subsistence on hunting and

Gathering and uh on agropastoralism um

an anthropologist went there and study

them and produce a rich uh

anthropological record by studying This

Record we can sort of figure out what's

happening in these societies today and

we can infer what was happening in the

similar Societies in the past okay so

what the anthropological record tell us

it tell us that in this societies um

made choices regulated that is

individuals are not free to choose their

own uh

mates uh what happens for instance is

that parents control uh M choice and

choose uh spouses for their children so

for instance if their uh daughter comes

of age uh they would uh arrange a

marriage with a man of her choice and um

um would give ha to him uh and when they

would exercise Choice their primary

concern was to arrange uh to establish

an alliance with another

family so this is the common pattern in

modern pre-industrial societies and we

can infer that this was also uh the uh

the pattern in ancestral human societies

and we don't even have to infer this

because we have historical evidence uh

for the later part of human uh

Evolution um we have historical records

that is we have records from ancient

Greece Rome Byzantine Empire uh pre

Victorian England and so on and these

tell the the same story they agree that

is um in these societies uh M Choice was

regulated individuals didn't have uh uh

much uh uh Choice over their

Partners okay so putting everything

together uh the anthropological and

historical records tell us the story we

can we come from uh uh uh a society uh

from ancestral societies where made

Choice was

regulated now this is important for

understanding sexual functioning for the

for understanding the variation of

sexual

functioning let me be more specific

about

this um let me examine um ejaculation

latency time that is how um uh fast uh

how soon a man ejaculates after the

initiation of sexual

intercourse now in an ancestral

pre-industrial

context um a man who would ejaculate um

uh uh soon after um uh the initiation of

sexual intercourse um this is in seconds

somewh here um allowing little time for

the sexual satisfaction of his um uh

partner uh wouldn't be better off or

worse off than a man who would ejaculate

uh later on uh allowing more time for

the sexual satisfaction of his partner

why because in a in ancestral

pre-industrial societies woman didn't

have any choice of mate so um uh the

sexual satisfaction of women was a

secondary concern men didn't care about

this too much and didn't matter much

what happens then is that both

predispositions would remain the

population that is the predisposition to

ejaculate soon after they initiation of

sexual intercourse or the predisposition

to in to ejaculate later on um both

would remain the population and what we

have today uh is this distribution this

nice distribution of ejaculation latency

time so you can see here this is in

seconds um and uh uh indicates um uh how

fast uh a man would ejaculate after the

initiation of sexual intercourse okay

that is why we have this distribution

due to two weak selection pressures

what's the problem

now uh in modern societies things are

different uh made choice is no longer

regulated uh woman have a choice they

can choose with whom they will stay with

and this means that uh a man has to

provide some satisfaction to his uh

partner uh to keep here and in turn yes

has to be um and this means that men who

are here and a lot of them uh may be in

trouble because uh they ejaculate soon

after the initiation of sexual uh uh

intercourse not allowing considerable uh

time for the sexual satisfaction of

their Partners so uh a lot of men then

in a modern uh context have this problem

and we because this is uh a problem we

tend to label it uh premature

ejaculation but this is is a label

doesn't mean that those who are here are

ill or there's something wrong with them

it's just normal variation um which

still however causes them problems they

CA it causes them problems today 100

years ago if you are here no problem

today

problem yeah that's laugh okay um uh

sorry before I go to this um this is the

story also this can this this can be

applied to woman as well so for instance

um uh most of us we have a mechanism

which generate sexual desire um and the

purpose of this mechanism is to motivate

us to seek sexual uh

intercourse now uh in a context where

made choic is regulated what happens is

that uh parents uh arrange the marriage

the marriage of their daughters and they

give her to a man of their choice and

they Grant him uh the right to have sex

with her and he would exercise this uh

uh right irrespectively of the will of

uh uh of his wife this means that uh a

woman with a predisposition to have a

low sexual desire will not be better off

or worse off in terms of reproductive

success than a woman who uh has a higher

sexual uh desire uh that is to say both

women um will um uh have children will

get married have children and will pass

on their predispositions uh to Future

Generations now today however uh things

are different a man needs the consent of

um uh his uh partner uh in order to have

sex with her and a woman with a low

sexual desire um might be uh unwilling

to give this concern or she might not be

willing to give this concern as

frequently as her partner would like so

this would result in a situation where

the man would like sex the woman

wouldn't like they would have fights and

eventually this would tend to uh

classify low sexual desire as a

dysfunction so we tend to label uh this

as a dysfunction because uh this uh

creates friction uh between uh the

couples um again woman who classify uh

fall in this category that is

approximately 40% of women um doesn't

mean that they are real or anything

that's a normal uh

variation okay all right so that's uh

the kind of uh labeling um uh we uh

give okay so um to bring everything uh

together in order to understand where we

are uh uh today um uh we sort of need uh

to figure out uh where uh we came from

um and we came from uh an environment a

context where M Choice was uh

regulated uh and as a consequence this

um on certain aspects of sexual

functioning there had been a weak

selection uh

pressures uh and uh uh this result in

considerable variation in certain

aspects of uh uh sexual uh

functioning um now because the

environment is different this this

variation might need uh might cause

people problems however this is a normal

uh variation at least in most of the

cases it is a normal uh variation so

that's I guess the take-home message uh

uh of today that uh most people that um

uh experience these difficulties uh they

shouldn't think that okay that I'm me or

there's something wrong with me or

whatever this is a normal and common and

very common thing but before I finish I

wouldn't like people to think that's

okay fine all right that's if I have

this difficulty all right no problem

it's normal I'm going home and that's it

no uh perhaps people need to uh work on

this if this is causes them problems so

I mean to go back to my uh uh example

with the noses uh let's say if I have uh

a big nose um well that's normal Vari

ation okay um but perhaps this causes me

some problems I don't like it it hurts

my self-esteem aesthetically it's not

what I want um so even if it is a normal

variation if this is cause me trouble

perhaps I may consider uh to have some

uh plastic surgery now the same goes

with the sexual dysfunctions in most of

the cases um uh uh people people who

face uh sexual dysfunction that's a

normal

variation however if you're not

satisfied with uh your sexual

functioning um my suggestion is try to

do something about it so to improve on

this so that's all thank you very much

for listening