Oral Sex – is it evolutionary?
Going Down today in the USA.
Oral sex hasn’t always been acceptable to discuss in public. In 1997, the Clinton – Lewinsky sex scandal shed light on the discrepancies that exist between oral sex and intercourse. The then 22-year-old White House intern kept in her possession a dress that still bore the semen stain that came from her giving oral sex to former President Clinton. Examination of both the semen sample and a sample of Clinton’s blood confirmed the semen came from the president.
However, Clinton denied allegations and recited the popular phrase: “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.” Meanwhile, in an interview with Barbara Walters, Lewinsky described her actions with Clinton as merely “fooling around.” Or, in other words, oral sex was just child’s play.
This scandal added to the misconception that oral sex is not real sex. Often young women are psychologically pressured into giving oral sex because they’re sold this story – that it isn’t really sex. Oral sex has evolved to be just as or even more common than vaginal sex among sexually active adults and teenagers, with it’s benefit of no pregnancy.
Historically oral sex, specifically fellatio, was seen as a social stigma, and was even considered a felony in 48 US states in 1950. However, it slowly evolved to become acceptable within marriages and known as an act more intimate than intercourse although it was not until the 1970s that oral sex was deemed socially permissible for unmarried couples to engage in.
So, how did humans come to adopt this sexual behavior?
The Uprising Of Oral Sex: The Animal Kingdom
Researchers have speculated oral sex has several evolutionary roots in heterosexual relationships.
After all, when it comes to sex, we are all animals, according to a relationship and sex psychologist Dr Walfish.“When you look at people having intercourse, it’s all about movement, noise, grunting, pleasure, speed, and losing oneself to orgasm as animals do.”
There is evidence that a type of chimpanzee called bonobos engages in fellatio, but this is infrequent and usually among the young. Because fellatio among bonobos is considered part of play, primatologists believe fellatio emerged as part of play rather than as part of sex since humans share up to 98% of their DNA with bonobos
The Evolution Of Fellatio,
A 2009 study observing fruit bats and their sexual behaviour suggests they exhibit similar human-like mannerisms when it comes to oral sex. The female fruit bat performs fellatio on the male to increase the duration of intercourse. This boosts the penis’ rigidity to make the erection last longer. At the same time, the female’s saliva may increase lubrication, according to the researchers, which prolongs sex.
Researchers theorize this effect has been transcended onto humans. Evolutionarily speaking, they believe fellatio will help a man’s erection last longer and improve thrusting during intercourse. The extra arousal that fellatio can provide may be helpful in readying them for insertive sex — making the penis that much firmer, for instance.
Fellatio has also been linked to reducing the risk of sexually transmitted infections in male fruit bats. Saliva functions as an antibacterial and has antifungal, anti-chlamydial, and antiviral properties. After intercourse, fruit bats regularly lick their penises, which are believed to increase reproductive success and could provide an evolutionary explanation for fellatio in humans.
So, can oral sex also protect your offspring? Perhaps? Evolutionarily speaking, fellatio could have come about to ensure survival of the fittest via the birth of a healthy offspring.
The idea that “going down” on a man can help women prevent miscarriages sounds like fiction, but researchers suggest the science is real. A 2000 study found that with prolonged exposure to proteins in a mate’s semen a female’s immune system will acclimate to his sperm, as will a developing foetus. Women who regularly expose themselves to their partner’s semen, especially by mouth, help their immune system get used to the sperm.
In other words, because many of the “foreign” proteins in a woman’s immune system will come from the father’s genes in her body, her baby will be more likely to accept them with regular exposure. Typically, disorders during pregnancy stem from a woman’s immune system viewing a foetus as a “foreign body.” Although unconventional, swallowing semen could help carry pregnancies to full term, according to this study.
The Evolution Of Cunnilingus
Some hypothesise that, similar to fellatio, cunnilingus helps keep partners faithful. A 2013 study questioned 240 men in committed, sexual, heterosexual relationships to observe whether they perform oral sex to boost their female partners’ satisfaction with their relationship, thereby decreasing the probability she will cheat and potentially get pregnant by another man. The research showed that men who were most likely to report getting their partner to orgasm during oral sex were more likely to think their woman was sought after by other men. According to this study men are more eager to please partners who they believe have better options and thus may perform cunnilingus to keep their mates from cheating. Also cunnilingus before intercourse can improve the experience of intercourse for women, if it increases the degree of arousal she feels, which in turn will often make the difference between boring or even unpleasant intercourse and satisfying intercourse.
Oral Sex: What’s Your Pleasure?
The evolutionary roots of cunnilingus and fellatio are open to interpretation, however, engaging in oral sex is a way to stay connected to your partner. It’s often considered very intimate, even more so than penetration. The act is purely selfless because you give while receiving nothing in return. This shows you care about your partner and their needs, not just your own.
Perhaps oral sex doesn’t have an evolutionary purpose, or perhaps it does, but one thing that’s clear — once you relax and let go, you only have more pleasure to gain, and less to lose
Courtesy of Medical Daily USA May 2016
http://www.medicaldaily.com/oral-sex-going-down-evolutionary-roots-386318
