Get this — everyone who’s ever told you to stop thinking with your wiener wasn’t totally right.

Human testes have a much higher number of active proteins than other tissues, according to a Nov. 7 BBC article. The article says that according to the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, there are 999 active proteins in testicular tissue that are more active than they are in other parts of the body. For example, the cerebral cortex of the brain has only 318 of those active proteins, the liver has 172 and smooth muscle has zero.

So, on a genetic level, your testicles are smarter than your brain. But it doesn’t mean you should think with them.

Sexual arousal can have a serious effect on decision making, according to a 2013 Psychology Today article. The article cites a 2006 survey where 25 undergraduate males answered a series of questions after they had become sexually aroused about how far they’d be willing to go to have sex with a potential partner. The study found that when the men were sexually stimulated, their morals and ethical practices fell second to sex.

The article also discussed a 2012 survey of several first-year college students and their reported concerns after engaging in vaginal sex. The survey found that both men and women had generally positive interpersonal and intrapersonal thoughts — for example, they felt physically satisfied and closer to their partner — but that both genders perceived similar positive and negative consequences of sex. The most common negative intrapersonal consequence was the fear of pregnancy.

“Sexual arousal, in sum, hijacks the brain leading to a focus on immediate pleasure and gratification. Typically, after ejaculation occurs, a male then begins to consider (and often worry about) the consequences of his sexual involvements,” the Psychology Today article said.

There’s a difference between thinking with your head and thinking with your “head.” I’m not saying, in any way, that men are worse than women when it comes to pursuing sexual desires. In fact, they’re not, especially if there is alcohol involved.

Although it’s difficult to draw a strict connection between women’s alcohol consumption and risky sexual behavior, a 2010 study done by the National Center for Biotechnology Information comes close in doing so. The NCBI study found that women who were under the influence of alcohol were likely to ignore their inhibiting cognitions and pursue sexual intentions, even though the sex was unprotected and with someone they had met hours prior.

Participants were given a mixture of vodka and orange juice to get their Blood Alcohol Level to .04 percent, .08 percent or they were given a placebo. As their BAL rose, they read a story written in the second person about meeting a friend of a friend, “Nick,” and their sexual encounter at a friend’s house. It begins with a kiss on the cheek and ends with sex, but Nick is without a condom. At this point, the women’s decisions to have unprotected sex or not are evaluated — finding that alcohol did have a direct effect on whether or not the women refused to have unprotected sex.

“As the scenario continued and the man suggested having sex without a condom, it appeared that inhibiting cognitions became less influential,” the NCBI study said.

“Alcohol had its predicted effect on the primary appraisal of the situation having sexual potential, consistent with evidence from prior research that has shown alcohol’s influence on cultivating a sexual ambiance and increasing sexual interest.”

Calm, well-thought-out decisions are the best decisions. Your genitalia can actually have a say over the decisions you make, and although it is our instinct to literally jump on any opportunity we have to reproduce, it’s not always the best choice.

At the same time, listen to your body. Both men and women should experience regular, if not frequent orgasms, because there are a whole handful of wonderful side effects — stress reduction, increased focus, insomnia relief and lessened pain – according to a 2013 Huffington Post article.

The balls are in your court. Be kind to your mind, and be kind to your apparently intelligent junk.

Georgie Silvarole is a sophomore newspaper and online journalism major. Her column appears weekly. You can reach her at gmsilvar@syr.edu or on Twitter at @gsilvarole.

Published on November 12, 2014 at 12:01 am