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The Science of Sex

Romance

Professor of human sexuality, Dr Zhana, and comedian, Joe Pardavila, sit down each week with a new sex researcher to talk about the latest information on anything and everything to do with sex.

Location:

United States

Genres:

Romance

Description:

Professor of human sexuality, Dr Zhana, and comedian, Joe Pardavila, sit down each week with a new sex researcher to talk about the latest information on anything and everything to do with sex.

Language:

English


Episodes

#55 – Getting the T(estosterone)

1/29/2019
Testosterone is having a moment these days. T-boosting has grown into a $2.5 billion industry, with guys of all ages trying to up their T levels in hopes of increasing everything from libido to mood to energy. But what does testosterone do how about our cognitive processes? Could testosterone increase how quickly and automatically we make decisions about sexual situations, and could that lack of deliberation have a dark side that contributes to sexual assault and harassment? These are some...

Duration:00:53:02

#54 – Cocktails Vs. Consent

1/15/2019
Happy belated New Year! Given that the holiday season is a time when a lot of people consume significant amounts of alcohol AND get frisky while under its influence, we thought we'd kick off 2019 with an episode that ties drinking and sexual consent. Specifically, how does being intoxicated impact people's perceptions of their own and their friends' ability to consent to sex? In her unusual "naturalistic bar study" (more on that in the podcast), Dr. Michelle Drouin from Purdue University...

Duration:01:12:49

#53 – Why You’re Doing It Matters

12/18/2018
Optimizing Sexual Satisfaction We all know having sex with our romantic partners is good for our relationship and sexual satisfaction. But why you're doing it can make a difference; not all sexual motives were made equal. Some reasons to have sex lead to better and healthier outcomes than other reasons. Optimizing your intimate life is partly about making sure you're doing "it" for the right reasons, and not doing "it" for the wrong reasons. In Episode 53, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr....

Duration:00:52:24

#52 – Hot for Teacher

12/11/2018
What is it about teachers that make them so hot? According to the popular college professor reviewing website, Rate My Professors, it’s more than just looks. But how does their rating system work? How are female professors rated versus their male peers? In Episode 52, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to New York University professor Pascal Wallisch about how students rate and tag their favorite (or not-so-favorite) professors on the divisive yet popular website, Rate My Professors. Does the site...

Duration:00:53:23

#51 – The World of Pup Play

12/4/2018
We have covered some kink, fetish and BDSM ground on the show, but this time we delve deep into the details of one specific kink: pup (or puppy) play. What is 'pup play'? Who are 'bio-pups', and why are they so into this? Is this related to zoophilia / bestiality, or the world of furries? In Episode 51, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Liam Wignall about his research on pup play and the people who are into it. He became the first to research this topic after it just kept “pupping” up for him in...

Duration:00:45:36

#50 – 50 Shades of (Trans)Gender

11/27/2018
Do you know the difference between sex and gender? Or what it means to be "gender nonconforming"? Trans or transgender? Genderqueer and gender non-binary? Our understanding and language around sex and gender has been rapidly expanding, and we don't blame you if you're not super familiar with it all. In Episode 50, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Seth Pardo about his research on the gender identity and gender presentation of 170 folks who were assigned female at birth but identify as gender...

Duration:00:58:31

#49 – Bi Guys on the Down Low

11/20/2018
The dangers and risks for gay men in coming out of the closet is widely acknowledged, but what about bisexual men? More bi men, compared to gay men, keep their sexuality strictly on the down low. Why is this the case? How are these men's experience different? In Episode 49, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Eric Schrimshaw from Columbia University about his research on bisexual men--especially those with long-term female partners--who remain in the closet and why they do so. Why would bisexual...

Duration:01:07:33

#48 – Why Are People Into BDSM?

11/13/2018
Some people are into sexually aggressive and humiliating acts, from biting & spanking, to spitting and verbal humiliation. This is usually referred to as paraphilias, or uncommon sexual desires, but how uncommon are these sexual desires, actually? And, perhaps more controversially, could there be some evolutionary bases for some of our BDSM desires? In Episode 48, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Menelaos Apostolou from the University of Nicosia in Cyprus about his evolutionary theories on why...

Duration:00:56:59

#46 – Homosexuality: A Twin Thing

10/30/2018
Research has shown that sexual orientation is greatly determined by genetics. We also know that identical twins share 100% of their genetic material. Then how is it possible that only about 30% of all identical twins have the same sexual orientation as their co-twin? In Episode 46, Dr. Zhana and Joe speak with Dr. Gerulf Rieger about his research on identical twins with discordant sexual orientation. Dr. Rieger tests whether childhood gender non-conformity, genital arousal patterns, and...

Duration:01:02:51

#44 – What’s Your Number?

10/16/2018
In Episode 44, Dr. Kirstin Mitchell returns to talk to Dr. Zhana and Joe about the differences between sexual partners reported by men and women. It's been an age-old question: Do men really have more sexual partners than women? Or are there other reasons for men reporting twice as many partners as women on average? Joe thinks it's as simple as "they're all lying," but the answers are slightly more complicated. Tune in to find out how sampling, counting as well as some degree of misreporting...

Duration:00:38:07

#41 – Sex-Question-Palooza III

9/25/2018
This week, Joe and Dr. Zhana switched things up and decided to dedicate an entire episode to answering some of your questions! Dr. Zhana gives science based answers to listener's most pressing questions while Joe chimes in with some witty banter and some of his own questions. This week's episode covered a range of topics including, vaginismus, open relationships, gooning, non surgical penis enhancement, and more! Before Next Time… Remember to like The Science of Sex Podcast on Facebook,...

Duration:00:51:36

#40 – How Sex Affects Your Immune System

9/18/2018
In Episode 40, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk with Tierney Lorenz on sex and the immune system! It's been known that sexual activity can have an effect on the immune system. What do those effects look like? A healthy sex life can be great for the immune system which can in turn increase things like sex drive or pleasure. On this week's episode we were able to talk to Dr. Tierney Lorenz on her research on sex and the immune system! About our Guest Dr. Lorenz received her Ph.D. in clinical psychology...

Duration:00:55:35

#38 – WTF is Communal Sexual Motivation?

9/4/2018
Welcome back to the Science of Sex Podcast! In the Season 2 premiere, your favorite hosts, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk with Dr. Amy Muise on Communal Sexual Motivation, or CSM. CSM, or being Good, Giving, and Game (GGG), in a relationship is all about being motivated to be responsive to a partner’s sexual needs or interests. According to Dr. Muise, CSM works as a spectrum, with individuals ranking from high to low. In this episode, find out how CSM can be beneficial to a relationship, the...

Duration:01:05:59

#37 – The Good, The Bad, and Polyamory

6/25/2018
In episode 35, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Amy C. Moors about her research on non-monogamy! Non-monogamy often gets a bad rep in our society, but also in academia. A lot of research conducted on polyamory has been biased, showing stigma even among researchers. Hence, this makes it difficult to have clear and accurate statistics about non-monogamy and open relationships. Thankfully, there are some studies out there that attempt to analyze this bias and why it occurs. About Our Guest Amy C....

Duration:01:10:22

#36 – Romantic Side Effects to Birth Control

6/18/2018
In episode 36, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Patrick Jern about the romantic side effects of hormonal birth control! We often talk about the physical side effects of hormonal birth control methods (i.e. the pill, the IUD, the patch, the shot, the ring…) like weight gain, acne, cramping, spotting, headaches, and so on. But we rarely talk about how the emotional side effects of these hormones can affect relationships. Turns out, hormonal birth control may have an influence on mate preference...

Duration:00:55:01

#35 – Coming Out in America

6/11/2018
In episode 36, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Christian Grov about his research on coming out in America and how it might have changed. Coming out as gay and bisexual has changed over the years, but there is also another layer to coming out and that is coming out as HIV-positive. Due to modern advancements in medicine, an HIV-positive status no longer implies a death sentence, so coming out becomes more complex. This week, we spoke to Dr. Christian Grov on the studies he has conducted about...

Duration:00:58:56

#33 – Kink V Abuse

5/28/2018
In episode 33, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dulcinea Pitagora about what marks the difference between abuse versus consensual kink in a relationship. Many believe that because BDSM is founded upon consent, communication, and negotiation that abuse cannot make its way into a kinky relationship. However, just like vanilla relationships, BDSM dynamics are not immune to the possibility of abuse. It can sometimes be even harder to identify abuse in kink-oriented relationships. It is extremely...

Duration:01:06:51

#32 – Porn Ed.

5/21/2018
In episode 32, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Emily Rothman about the benefits of educating kids about porn. A new study reported on joint efforts by folks at Boston University and the Boston Public Health Commission to educate young people about pornography, in hopes that they would develop a more realistic understanding of what porn is, how it’s made, and how it relates to real-life sex and bodies. These programs have been proven to work and be extremely beneficial for young people. On this...

Duration:01:04:26

#31 – Managing Low Sexual Desire

5/15/2018
In episode 31, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Lori Brott about some ways that people can manage low sexual desire. Low sexual desire is something that is more common than most people think. It can appear in many different forms, and it is not synonymous with asexuality. Low sexual desire among women is thought to be common around menopause. There are many different treatment options both medicinal and not for women. On this week’s episode, we have Dr. Lori Brotto discussing her extensive...

Duration:01:01:25

#30 – High Infidelity

5/8/2018
In episode 30, Dr. Zhana and Joe talk to Dr. Dylan Selterman about the motivations for infidelity! There are many factors that play into the cause of infidelity including anger, stress, neglect, a general lack of love or passion, and more. Infidelity and cheating is interesting to study on the quantitative side. We can look at how many people cheat, the demographics of cheaters, etc., but what about the psychological motivations for cheating? What exactly drives a person to cheat? This week...

Duration:01:04:50