Psychology of sex - Total No. of Records in System :: 2032

PSYCHOLOGY OF SEXof sexual allurement. In Man, and even tosome degreein the apes,this sense has given place to the predominanceof vision. Yet it still bathes us in a more or less constantatmosphere of odors which perpetuallymove us to sympathyor to antipathy; and in their finer manifestationswe still do not neglect, but even cultivate them.(3) HearingThe chief physiologicalfunctions are periodic,and it isnot surprising that rhythm is deeply impressed on ourorganism. The result is that, whatever lends itself to theneuro-muscular rhythmical tendency of the organism,whatever tends still further to heighten and develop thatrhythmical tendency, exerts upon us a decidedly stimulatingand exciting influence. It is not possible to acceptthe view of Bucher and Wundt that human song has itschief or exclusive origin in rhythmical vocal accompanimentsto systematized work, yet rhythm, whether in itssimple form or its more developed form as music, is apowerful stimulant to muscular action. There is considerableground for the view of the Swedish philologist Sperberthat sexuality was the main source from which speechgenerally was developed. He argues that there are twosituations in which an instinctive cry would arise andevoke response:when the hungry infant cries and is fedby the mother; and when the sexually excited male uttersa call to which the female responds. The second situationis most likely to have been developed first, and thereforesexuality is probably the first source of speech. This musthave occurred, indeed, early in vertebrate development.Even a single musical note is effective as a physiologicalstimulus, apart from rhythm, as was well shown by F