Sexual Arousal and Aggression in a Free-Choice Situation

Abstract

The effect of sexual arousal on the administration of pleasure or pain to a rat was studied. The subjects were 40 male college students, half were induced to sexual arousal through reading erotic passages while the rest read neutral passages. Subjects were placed in a simulated teaching situation, with a laboratory rat being the apparent learner. Pleasurable and painful stimulation were available as teaching aids. No differences between the aroused and nonaroused groups were noted in intensity of stimulation applied; however, aroused subjects administered pain of greater duration than nonaroused subjects. This finding was attributed to a disinhibition effect operating in the aroused group. Such a difference might lead the aroused subjects to be labelled as more aggressive.