Love is in the air

(Image: Pixabay CC0) - More blood flow to the genitals, an increased pulse and dilated pupils: These physical characteristics reveal that a person is sexually aroused. But lust can also be detected in the breath, as a study of an international research team has now shown. According to the study, a characteristic signature of volatile molecules is found in the breath of sexually aroused people. The test subjects exhaled less isoprene and carbon dioxide, while the concentration of degradation products of certain neurotransmitters increased. According to the researchers, this discovery may help clinically to better assess sexual arousal and thus contribute evaluating sexual difficulties. The task was very simple: twelve men and twelve women were asked to watch different ten-minute film clips in random order in the Research Laboratory on Human Sexuality, SexLab for short, at the University of Porto. They watched a nature travel documentary, a horror film, a football match and an erotic film.