Electric shocks to the brain stop people objectifying women, study finds

[IwantToRetire]

Mild electric shocks to the brain have been found to remove a bias that is linked to the sexual objectification of women, a new study has found.

Research, conducted by the University of Exeter, found that applying an electrical current to the scalp for ten minutes improved how well participants recognised upright sexualised images of women, and removed a difference in the way such images of women and men were processed.

It had already been established that people are much better at recognising faces and bodies when they are are upright than when they are upside down – whereas for objects it makes far less difference.

Studies have found that in both male and female viewers, this upright advantage shrinks when it comes to sexualised images of women but not men – suggesting they are processed more like objects.

Professor Ciro Civile, who led the study, said: “Sexual objectification means treating a person as a body to be looked at or used, rather than as a whole person. It’s dehumanising and most often experienced by women.

Full article https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/electrical-shocks-objectifying-women-study-university-of-exeter-b3073370.html

The brain works how the brain works though doesnt it?

Is this objectification universal in all cultures?

Of course!

Because all cultures are male dominated and objectification of the male sex class of the female sex class it to objectify women and not see them as having the same status as men.

Surely that is understood as part of feminism 101

Very Clockwork Orange. Though I admit feeling attracted to the idea of slapping electrodes on misogynists.

I got side tracked with the volunteers being tuned upside down for the experiment… oops

Very interesting.

'Studies have found that in both male and female viewers, this upright advantage shrinks when it comes to sexualised images of women but not men – suggesting they are processed more like objects. '

Study:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17470919.2026.2751696#abstract

There is lots of evidence to suggest that males are far more object oriented then females...who tend to be more relational.

But the subjects of the experiment were both sexes, and there wasn't any difference in response as far as I can tell.
The study, which has been published in the journal Social Neuroscience, involved 54 female students and 22 males students, with participants asked to memorise sexualised images of female and models in underwear, both upright and upside down.

To be honest I'm not sure I find it convincing.

There was a study recently with babies, very young babies, which suggested the propensisty for male babies to visually track objects far more consistently than females, who tended to be far more 'face focused'. Certainly in the playground at school - boys tend not to be quite so relational or focused on pair bonding as girls tend to be.

Why bother with the brain? A quick zap of the junk would surely have the same effect and be far easier?

54 female students and 22 males students, with participants asked to memorise sexualised images of female and models in underwear, both upright and upside down.

I think the inference may be overstated? This seems to be about memory rather than objectification.

Article by one of the academic who carried out the study
https://news.exeter.ac.uk/uncategorized/is-sexual-objectification-hard-wired-our-study-used-electrical-brain-stimulation-to-find-out/