tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304269645366413372.post2898723158813063957..comments2023-12-01T11:49:46.831+11:00Comments on Eye on Psych: Semen an antidepressant? Alternative explanations appear more plausible.Scott McGrealhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13757633582829269183noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304269645366413372.post-7241156412182890192012-08-09T10:11:07.150+10:002012-08-09T10:11:07.150+10:00I hadn't seen your article, so thanks for poin...I hadn't seen your article, so thanks for pointing me to it. I am in agreement with your conclusions. I think the Gallup et al. paper was interesting as a correlational study, but I'm amazed that they focused on such a far-fetched explanation as to the underlying cause when the evidence was so flimsy and alternative explanations plentiful. Seems like the idea that semen could be an antidepressant captured the imagination of quite a few people, including those who ought to know better, such as the illustrious Dr. Greenfield.Scott McGrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13757633582829269183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304269645366413372.post-4216218867347818382012-08-09T03:15:50.330+10:002012-08-09T03:15:50.330+10:00Great article! I appreciate your take on this issu...Great article! I appreciate your take on this issue and the thorough research you did to support your claims. I did a write-up on this particular study a few months ago and argued for a similar conclusion; however, I focused on a few different critiques. For one thing, Gallup et al. never actually measured "semen exposure"--the measured condom use and just assumed that translated to differential semen exposure. Moreover, their interpretation of the data may not be correct--why is it that semen is an "antidepressant" when an equally plausible effect is that condom use is a "depressant?" For more on my take, see here: <a href="http://www.lehmiller.com/blog/2012/4/18/physician-loses-job-after-suggesting-semen-is-a-better-valen.html" rel="nofollow">Physician Loses Job After Suggesting Semen Is A Better Valentine’s Day Gift Than Chocolates </a>Justin Lehmillerhttp://www.lehmiller.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304269645366413372.post-75020187720960718042012-07-30T23:38:34.247+10:002012-07-30T23:38:34.247+10:00Now there's a very interesting point. There is...Now there's a very interesting point. There is evidence that positive illusions help maintain self-esteem and that those who are depressed have fewer illusions. Perhaps this might have something to do with why women who were more depressed were more likely to use condoms, that they were more worried about realistic risks of unprotected sex.Scott McGrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13757633582829269183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304269645366413372.post-67733262400044784272012-07-30T23:10:09.907+10:002012-07-30T23:10:09.907+10:00One should also consider the work on positive delu...One should also consider the work on positive delusions. Women that are not depressed might see themselves as being untouchable or that pregnancy and STDs happen to others but not them. Where as women that are not depressed and at the same time are not influenced by positive delusions might be more aware of the risks of not having their partner wear a condom. That being said it would have been nice to have seen the participants views on condom use.Life Styles of the Bizarre and Neurotichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17032596470441358469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304269645366413372.post-3461507322974496982012-07-30T23:07:32.695+10:002012-07-30T23:07:32.695+10:00They did record oral contraceptive use and found t...They did record oral contraceptive use and found that there were no differences in depressive symptoms between those using contraceptives and those who did not. Interestingly, 7 out of 10 women who never used condoms were on oral contraceptives. Strange that they thought the hormones contained in semen would affect mood when the hormones contained in oral contraceptives apparently do not.Scott McGrealhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13757633582829269183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2304269645366413372.post-74484806949937574362012-07-30T21:39:25.722+10:002012-07-30T21:39:25.722+10:00Didn't the Gallup study also fail to consider ...Didn't the Gallup study also fail to consider oral contraceptives?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com