Can Erotica Boost Low Testosterone?

Introduction

Testosterone is an androgenic hormone that plays a vital role in the human body's growth, reproduction and development. In addition to increasing rbc count and helping in muscle power, Testosterone helps control and synchronise male sexual desire and arousal. Consequently, lower testosterone levels impact the sex drive and result in less stamina because of decreased bone mass and overall impact on erectile functioning and sexual performance.

Can Erotica boost low Testosterone?

Studies have shown that sexual behaviour can increase testosterone levels to a moderate extent, but in comparison, sexual desire could improve the sexual arousal of a person. The study conducted by researchers at Michigan University that evaluated the four arousal conditions of visual imagination, story, fantasy and neutral showed increased sexual arousal to all three arousal conditions as compared to the neutral condition during the process. Additionally, they observed that the visual imagination parameter in Erotica had the highest arousal. The study's results showed that sexual desire was an important factor in sexual arousal and that visual imagination had the highest potential to improve sexual arousal in a person.

Sexual Arousal and Testosterone

Sexual arousal refers to physiological and psychological responses when exposed to sexual stimuli or, in simple words, the feeling of being turned on that plays a vital role in a person's sexual activity. The process of arousal is crucial for engaging in sexual activity. In addition, the arousal process activates the mesocorticolimbic dopamine system and subsequent dopamine release, improving testosterone production. The impact of dopamine on regions of the limbic system like the amygdala, hippocampus and nucleus accumbens results in a testosterone-induced improvement in cognitive stimulation and, with it, the quality of sexual performance.

The overall experience or sexual interaction, in turn, increases the proliferation of the hippocampal progenitor cells, which facilitates neurogenesis and positively impacts memory regions.

Sexual arousal results in slight increases in plasma testosterone levels in women, while in men, sexual arousal with sexual activity helps boost testosterone levels. In a study conducted to validate the statement, 44 subjects were assigned to visit a swingers club. Twenty-six subjects were assigned to watch sexual activity, while 18 were assigned to participate in sexual activity. Testosterone levels increased by 36% among men during a visit to the sex club, with the magnitude of Testosterone change significantly greater among participants (72%) compared with observers. The study proved that Erotica leads to sexual arousal that may/may not improve testosterone levels. But social interactions with potential mates can trigger specific patterns of endocrine responses in human males and improve testosterone levels.

To evaluate the association between, Testosterone, sexual arousal, and selective attention to erotic stimuli in men, twenty-six eugonadal ( having healthy gonads/ reproductive organs) participated in a study conducted by the researchers of the Department of Psychology and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Montreal. Canada.

A total of two sessions were conducted, and in each session, the subjects listened to an erotic or neutral priming audiotape and completed a dichotic listening task ( dichotic-listening task requires the subject to repeat a message presented to one ear while ignoring the auditory stimulus presented to the other ear) to assess selective attention for the sexual auditory stimuli presented to them.

In this case, the subjects self-reported the subjective levels of sexual arousal to the audiotape and the resulting sexual attitudes with sexual experience. This was followed by submitting their blood samples to check their testosterone levels. The results after completion of the sessions did not show a relationship between the levels of free Testosterone and the strength of the selective attention bias for sexual stimuli. Or simply put, the levels of Testosterone did not rise after listening to audible Erotica.

But the subjects distracted to a greater extent by the sexual material in the task reported higher levels of sexual arousal to erotic imagery than the men distracted to a lesser extent by the sexual material provided in the task. Additionally, the men more sexually aroused by the erotic audio tape made significantly fewer shadowing errors ( shadowing is when the person is asked to repeat the audio message he was given during the dichotic listening task) during the prime of their erotic audio stimulus than after the stimulus removal.

Despite the decreased shadowing errors in the erotic prime condition, no improvement in Testosterone levels was observed afterwards. The results of the study showed that increased sexual arousal improved the capacity of the person to decipher and repeat the audio stimulus in comparison to the deciphering ability without the stimulus. Additionally, Testosterone has the potential to improve the cognito-motivational aspect of sexual behaviour by improving the attention of the person to the sexual stimulus.

Other studies have found that visual Erotica can either increase or decrease cortisol/ stress hormone levels and impact the person's libido.

Erotica versus Exercise for Testosterone Levels

In comparison to Erotica, exercise has proven to be a sounder method of improving testosterone levels through an increase in serum testosterone concentrations. An important advantage of exercise over Erotica is the positive results obtained by clinical studies for the former compared to the lack of concrete data for the latter.

In a clinical study conducted to evaluate the roles of either factor in testosterone production, sixteen participants ( women) were enrolled in a study involving a questionnaire and workout session. The study lasted for a total of two sessions. During the first session, the subjects filled out questionnaires about self-arousal, while in the second session, they exercised on a treadmill for twenty minutes. After completing either session, the subjects were presented with an erotic film during which their arousal levels were measured. Testosterone levels were measured through saliva samples collected at baseline, before and after the film. In addition, alpha-amylase levels, a biomarker of stress levels and CNS activity, were measured.

The results showed a significant increase in physiological sexual arousal with exercise with a significant rise in alpha-amylase levels in contrast to the other group that watched the erotic film. There were no differences in testosterone levels between the exercise and no-exercise conditions. The study proved that exercise could increase genital sexual arousal and influence testosterone by changing dopamine levels. But Testosterone does not directly increase through Erotica.

Conclusion

While it is true that Erotica influences the sexual arousal levels of a person and causes slight changes in dopamine levels, it cannot be considered an accurate treatment mode for low testosterone levels. The fact that men and women react differently to sexual stimuli and women are more easily aroused than men makes it even more challenging to form a conclusive opinion regarding the matter.

Sexual thoughts or erotica content in an auditory or visual manner is not enough to change the Testosterone levels or the Cortisol levels that are an indicator of stress and libido loss. Engaging in a healthy lifestyle comprising diet and exercise is essential to adequately boost testosterone levels. To improve the problem of lowered testosterone levels, you should consult a physician and take testosterone supplements/ medications appropriate for your health.