The brain of bisexuals has its own characteristics.

Brain activation reflects behavioral styles related to sexual orientation.

The human brain contains many characteristics that have to do with the behavioral patterns of different types of people. In a way, the way the neurons in our brains activate and communicate with each other reflects the propensities and tendencies that are embodied in the way we act. And yes, this is also true in the case of different sexual orientations..

Thus, the brains of heterosexual and homosexual people show some differences in the way they function in certain contexts, for example.

However, the brains of heterosexuals and homosexuals show some differences in the way they function in certain contexts, the brains of bisexual persons (who are attracted to both men and women, although not necessarily with the same frequency or intensity) do not show a mixture of the activation patterns of the other two, as one might think. According to recent research, the results of which have been published in the journal Naturebisexuality is associated with neurobiological characteristics that are qualitatively different from those of homosexuals and heterosexuals.

The brain in bisexuality

The study in question, led by psychologists and psychiatrists from Northwestern University and the University of Magdeburg, has shown that the brains of bisexual people have some features in their functioning that, under certain conditions, distinguish them from the rest of the population..

This difference, however, is not necessarily evident in every situation, such as sleeping or solving a mathematical problem. In the context in which it has been proven to exist is in the perception of sexually charged images. This is important, since a difference in brain activation patterns shows that the brain is physically different from others. from others. In neuroscience, there is no distinction between software and hardware: the way in which different parts of the brain "switch on" shows us how the networks of neurons they are made of are woven together.

How was the research conducted?

Almost 80 people participated in this research: 28 bisexuals, 26 heterosexuals and 28 homosexuals. All of these individuals were between the ages of 25 and 50 and of different ethnicities and backgrounds, so that the sample would reflect different cultural variables. In addition, in the case of bisexual people, it was a requirement for participation to have had at least one lover of each sex.

On the other hand, the sexual orientation of each person was recorded from a questionnaire based on the Kinsey scale, which established a scale ranging from exclusively homosexual to exclusively heterosexual, passing through some intermediate degrees.

From that point, each of the participants watched a series of videos with adult content adult content videos featuring both heterosexual and homosexual sexual scenes. During this phase, the researchers tracked the participants' brain activation patterns using magnetic resonance imaging.

The parts of the brain most activated in bisexual people.

The results of the research showed a curious pattern of neuronal activation that depended on the sexual orientation of each participant. Specifically, the firing patterns of a part of the brain linked to the basal ganglia called the striatal nucleus, namely the striatum. called the striatal nucleus, specifically its lower, or ventral, part.. This area of the striatal nucleus is related to the mental processes of motivation and pleasure seeking, so it also plays an important role in the experience of sexuality.

As predicted, this area responded by showing preference for images in which the opposite sex appeared, in heterosexuals, and in persons of the same sex, in the case of homosexuals. In the case of bisexuals, however, this area of the brain (and secondarily, some others) behaved as if the differentiation between the categories "man" and "woman" was not important. as if the differentiation between the category "man" and "woman" was not important; in a way, the border between these two concepts was blurred, just as in the case of bisexuals.In a way, the boundary between these two concepts was blurred, in the same way that one might attach little importance to the color of another's eyes.

However, reactions of pure bisexuality, understood as one in which there is no clear preference for men or women, were rare. Judging from the images obtained from the brain scans, the activation of the brain regions of bisexuals generally showed a tendency to find bisexuality more attractive. showed a tendency to find one of the two sexes more attractive..