The greater question would be... what is the cause of heterosexuals? Why don't we ask THAT question? BECAUSE HETEROSEXUALS THINK THEY'RE NORMAL AND HOMOSEXUALS ARE NOT! Get over that part of the theory, and we can all just accept that we are who we are naturally!
I'm sorry that you find babies "terrifying." All I was trying to get at was that we are born either gay or straight, or bi-sexual or WHATEVER.. I can't explain it. It JUST HAPPENS that way. I'm not a believer in procreation, and I would truly love to see a slow down in the huge amount of babies being born in these times because of the terrible fact that the world is "overbreeding."I remain strongly "pro-choice" but it doesn't mean that I don't love babies.Does that clear up anything? More later.
There isn't a lot of concrete evidence, it seems, for many of these theories, but they're certainly interesting. I've read that the Brother Effect is related to population control. There are studies on animal homosexuality that seem to connect higher occurrence of homosexuality with the need to reduce population during times of species stress, i.e. the later brothers will be encouraged to have roles supporting an overbalanced young generation without adding to it. What do you reckon?
@NotTheSauce hi - there is actually a fair bit of evidence for each of these, but we still haven't found the smoking gun. You could the wikipedia entry for a useful overview and a bunch of links to the peer-reviewed papers that investigate these phenomena :)
I think we should look very cautiously at some of the studies described in these videos. The results of many of these studies are far from clear, and results are biased so that evidence supporting the hypothesis is kept while anything otherwise is discarded. No, there is no sufficient evidence pointing towards the 'cause of homosexuality', just as there is no evidence pointing toward the cause of not liking chocolate ice cream. Suffice to say, sexuality is fluid and homosexuality exists
@z120p well, a lot of people believe evolution isn't real, ignoring evidence that supports it. They also believe global warming isn't happening, ignoring the evidence for it, including 8mm sea-level rises each year. You're more than capable of using Google and finding the peer reviewed research itself. The purpose of all my videos is to encourage people to think.... Seems in your case it only encouraged you to spout off assertions with no research behind them...
@DifficultNerd Reply 1: On the contrary I have spent a great deal of time looking at the various theories attempting to explain the 'cause' of homosexuality, yet the problem with most of them is that they attempt to explain homosexuality as a concrete concept with heterosexuality as its polar opposite. Human (and indeed all animal) behavior is far more complex than what many of the studies assume. Have you ever laid you hands on 'Biological Exuberance' by Bruce Baghemihl might I ask?
@DifficultNerd Reply 2: While the book Biological Exuberance concerns itself less so with human sexuality and more so with the sexuality of a multitude of other animals, it is highly applicable (we are human, after all). Studies of homosexuality in animals also has the benefit in freeing us from the confines of social conditioning which may (and clearly do) impact the way sexuality is perceived and how we identify.
@DifficultNerd R3: Bruce Bagemihl notes that studies, for example, have failed to show any conclusive evidence for a directly 'hormonal' cause for homosexuality. Indeed Bagemihl points out how arbitrary 'sexual orientation' is within much of the animal kingdom. In some species, it has been noted that it is the most heterosexually active males that are also the biggest partakers in homosexual sex. Lets look at the sexual fluidity of the Bonobo, an ape on par with the chimp in terms of relation
@DifficultNerd Reply 4: That is not to say that individuals may experience a dominant attraction to one gender over another, and indeed many bird species (one example) have shown just that. Yet when I said we must be cautious I said so because I do not believe that any of the theories that have been developed come anywhere near to explaining something as complex as sexuality; and often come about by a false notion that sexuality is much more simple and black and white than it really is.
@DifficultNerd Reply 5: Instead of seeking out the cause of 'homosexuality' (I make note that no one ever really goes about seeking out the cause of 'heterosexuality', it's biological function in the evolutionary process is taken for granted), perhaps it would be better to start out by focusing on how sexuality is expressed, on learning whether sexual diversity is compatible with evolutionary theory and why, and then exploring whether our categorization methods are too limited..and then move on
@DifficultNerd Reply 6: It amazes me that there is obsession with identifying a 'cause' of homosexuality. We acknowledge it exists, just as we acknowledge that a disliking for asparagus exists among some and a liking for that same vegetable exists among others. We can observe that a person who dislikes asparagus may experience a negative, neurally traceable response to asparagus, and that suffices. Why don't food preferences deserve the same attention to causation?
@DifficultNerd Reply 7: Perhaps one day a cause for homosexual orientation will be found, although as you have implied in your video, I doubt it to due to a 'single' cause. But I also believe that won't be until we fully appreciate and recognize that homosexuality and heterosexuality are not fixed concepts, and so causes will probably only point to certain 'predispositions' to certain sexual behavior, not concrete socially constructed identities and labels.
@DifficultNerd Reply 8: As a last note I'd like to remind you that this 'quest' for seeking a 'cause' for homosexuality, in light of knowing that it exists, stems very much from a philosophy which continues to see sexual expression apart from heterosexuality as an anomaly. That's why there are few theories on the cause of preference for asparagus, because we are indifferent to whether one likes it or not.
The brother theory also supports the idea that there will be fewer gays in the future, because couples (particularly in developed countries) are having fewer children and there is therefore less likelihood of a gay younger brother, as the children stop before the odds increase. As my favourite kid in the whole world is a (gay) youngest boy, I'm glad his mother didn't stop too early. :)
@pacific707 I find babies terrifying. They're small and helpless and seem to look at me if they want me to keep them safe and developmentally moving in the correct direction.
Good video, but i think the separation between physical, emotional and spiritual gayness needs to be mentioned.
for instance, someone doesn't need a physical attraction towards the same sex to be gay, sometimes it's only a mental or spiritual attraction. If i start my trans answers soon i'll tackle that from my opinion, but I'd like to hear yours. :)
@watevur125 I think you're talking about the brother effect: but you've misunderstood the arithmetic. There is a 11% chance of someone being a gay in the general population. If that chance increases by 33%, then there is a 14.7% chance, if it increases by another 33% (because of a second older brother) and becomes 19.5% and so on... :)
@DifficultNerd Ah. Ok. It is still higher for a couple of my little brothers because I have four little brothers. It would be even higher for them if I was actually a boy too.
This is fantastic! I am curious if current hormone levels in the body influence homosexuality (this sounds so bad!) I'm a bi-sexual girl, and I've found that on some contraceptives, I have a flux in testosterone, my voice drops a little and my body hair darkens, I also find myself more attracted to women then too, (sex drive goes way up too!) Either way, I can't complain, admiring more beautiful women more often suits me, juuuuust fine ;D
@helsgrinde it could be I think, especially because nowadays there are so many added hormones in meat and stuff.. That's also what scientists believe to be one of the reasons why children go in puberty earlier and earlier. So when you're bisexual, I think hormones could influence you, because testosterone is appealing to the male part of your brain.. Just as men exposed to oestrogenes can initiate breast growth, but that fades again whenever they get less oestrogenes.
@helsgrinde Little disclaimer though: this is what I've remembered from my biology lessons, I'm not quite sure I remembered it all correctly. But the overall image should be OK if the details are wrong (overall image being male hormones making females more manly and female hormones making men more feminine)
Could you please cite your research in the description? I'm not disputing your information, I would just like to see the journal articles you are using.
@DifficultNerd Thanks! I study Sociology, so I'll admit I tend to feel that the external environment certainly does have an affect on Children and their development. I know that there is some physiological evidence that incline people to feel the way they do in terms of sexuality... but I have not seen any evidence that disproves being gay can be choice too. Honestly, I think a little of both are right for different people; some people are born that way, others choose it.
excellently done. the "exotic imprinting" theory - i learned from somewhere (can't remember - long time ago) that the child's biggest desire at the age of 7 is likely to be significant in the adult career. ie, i wanted to be a lawyer - i did indeed work as a paralegal for a few years. my oldest daughter was in choir - she's all over youtube now ("ft nikkita"). my second daughter wanted desperately to be as good an artist as her sister - which she now is (better, even).
@meshadek but are you in a career that has something to do with nurturing? could be something as obvious as day care, might be something not quite so obvious, like working in a garden centre or a restaurant.
@threenorns3 I'm in customer care and that may sound like a nurturing task but it is not. My job is to mislead customers into making decisions that benefit the company almost completely without regard for the needs of the customer. I am a salesman of the excessively useless and peddler of the overpriced and unnecessary.
@meshadek ....... sounds like parenting to me! (just kidding). but is that the job you were expecting when you took it? if you had your dream job, what would it be?
@chakafortuna Thanks for that - i tried really hard on this one to produce a serious, verifiable video. Obviously the studies are a little more complex and I've simplified them, but hopefully it will get people curious and they can research for themselves :)
I really love this video. I've heard of these theories before, but never in a succinct manner such as this. My friends and family are often puzzled by media's changing stance on "the cause" and their questions are often directed towards me. I can now direct them to this video. Thanks for this awesome resource =]
@i3aby913 I hope it's useful for you and helps explain to them that this is a really complex set of circumstances that leads to something really very simple :)
Comment removed
pacific707 4 days ago
I know that what causes me to be bisexual is my penis. It has a mind of it's own......which kinda makes it sound like a 50's sci-fi movie but anyway.
Prenna23 2 weeks ago
Oooops, that should have been should....then babies. There!
masterseries2012 2 weeks ago
Oooops, that shuld be babies!
masterseries2012 2 weeks ago
If the straights hate gays so much... why don't they stop having gay babaies?!?
masterseries2012 2 weeks ago
The greater question would be... what is the cause of heterosexuals? Why don't we ask THAT question? BECAUSE HETEROSEXUALS THINK THEY'RE NORMAL AND HOMOSEXUALS ARE NOT! Get over that part of the theory, and we can all just accept that we are who we are naturally!
beversfamily 2 weeks ago
I'm sorry that you find babies "terrifying." All I was trying to get at was that we are born either gay or straight, or bi-sexual or WHATEVER.. I can't explain it. It JUST HAPPENS that way. I'm not a believer in procreation, and I would truly love to see a slow down in the huge amount of babies being born in these times because of the terrible fact that the world is "overbreeding."I remain strongly "pro-choice" but it doesn't mean that I don't love babies.Does that clear up anything? More later.
pacific707 2 weeks ago
There isn't a lot of concrete evidence, it seems, for many of these theories, but they're certainly interesting. I've read that the Brother Effect is related to population control. There are studies on animal homosexuality that seem to connect higher occurrence of homosexuality with the need to reduce population during times of species stress, i.e. the later brothers will be encouraged to have roles supporting an overbalanced young generation without adding to it. What do you reckon?
NotTheSauce 2 weeks ago
@NotTheSauce hi - there is actually a fair bit of evidence for each of these, but we still haven't found the smoking gun. You could the wikipedia entry for a useful overview and a bunch of links to the peer-reviewed papers that investigate these phenomena :)
DifficultNerd 2 weeks ago
I think we should look very cautiously at some of the studies described in these videos. The results of many of these studies are far from clear, and results are biased so that evidence supporting the hypothesis is kept while anything otherwise is discarded. No, there is no sufficient evidence pointing towards the 'cause of homosexuality', just as there is no evidence pointing toward the cause of not liking chocolate ice cream. Suffice to say, sexuality is fluid and homosexuality exists
z120p 2 weeks ago
@z120p well, a lot of people believe evolution isn't real, ignoring evidence that supports it. They also believe global warming isn't happening, ignoring the evidence for it, including 8mm sea-level rises each year. You're more than capable of using Google and finding the peer reviewed research itself. The purpose of all my videos is to encourage people to think.... Seems in your case it only encouraged you to spout off assertions with no research behind them...
DifficultNerd 2 weeks ago
Comment removed
z120p 2 weeks ago
@DifficultNerd Reply 1: On the contrary I have spent a great deal of time looking at the various theories attempting to explain the 'cause' of homosexuality, yet the problem with most of them is that they attempt to explain homosexuality as a concrete concept with heterosexuality as its polar opposite. Human (and indeed all animal) behavior is far more complex than what many of the studies assume. Have you ever laid you hands on 'Biological Exuberance' by Bruce Baghemihl might I ask?
z120p 2 weeks ago
@DifficultNerd Reply 2: While the book Biological Exuberance concerns itself less so with human sexuality and more so with the sexuality of a multitude of other animals, it is highly applicable (we are human, after all). Studies of homosexuality in animals also has the benefit in freeing us from the confines of social conditioning which may (and clearly do) impact the way sexuality is perceived and how we identify.
z120p 2 weeks ago
Comment removed
z120p 2 weeks ago
Comment removed
z120p 2 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@DifficultNerd R3: Bruce Bagemihl notes that studies, for example, have failed to show any conclusive evidence for a directly 'hormonal' cause for homosexuality. Indeed Bagemihl points out how arbitrary 'sexual orientation' is within much of the animal kingdom. In some species, it has been noted that it is the most heterosexually active males that are also the biggest partakers in homosexual sex. Lets look at the sexual fluidity of the Bonobo, an ape on par with the chimp in terms of relation
z120p 2 weeks ago
@DifficultNerd Reply 4: That is not to say that individuals may experience a dominant attraction to one gender over another, and indeed many bird species (one example) have shown just that. Yet when I said we must be cautious I said so because I do not believe that any of the theories that have been developed come anywhere near to explaining something as complex as sexuality; and often come about by a false notion that sexuality is much more simple and black and white than it really is.
z120p 2 weeks ago
@DifficultNerd Reply 5: Instead of seeking out the cause of 'homosexuality' (I make note that no one ever really goes about seeking out the cause of 'heterosexuality', it's biological function in the evolutionary process is taken for granted), perhaps it would be better to start out by focusing on how sexuality is expressed, on learning whether sexual diversity is compatible with evolutionary theory and why, and then exploring whether our categorization methods are too limited..and then move on
z120p 2 weeks ago
@DifficultNerd Reply 6: It amazes me that there is obsession with identifying a 'cause' of homosexuality. We acknowledge it exists, just as we acknowledge that a disliking for asparagus exists among some and a liking for that same vegetable exists among others. We can observe that a person who dislikes asparagus may experience a negative, neurally traceable response to asparagus, and that suffices. Why don't food preferences deserve the same attention to causation?
z120p 2 weeks ago
@DifficultNerd Reply 7: Perhaps one day a cause for homosexual orientation will be found, although as you have implied in your video, I doubt it to due to a 'single' cause. But I also believe that won't be until we fully appreciate and recognize that homosexuality and heterosexuality are not fixed concepts, and so causes will probably only point to certain 'predispositions' to certain sexual behavior, not concrete socially constructed identities and labels.
z120p 2 weeks ago
@DifficultNerd Reply 8: As a last note I'd like to remind you that this 'quest' for seeking a 'cause' for homosexuality, in light of knowing that it exists, stems very much from a philosophy which continues to see sexual expression apart from heterosexuality as an anomaly. That's why there are few theories on the cause of preference for asparagus, because we are indifferent to whether one likes it or not.
z120p 2 weeks ago
The brother theory also supports the idea that there will be fewer gays in the future, because couples (particularly in developed countries) are having fewer children and there is therefore less likelihood of a gay younger brother, as the children stop before the odds increase. As my favourite kid in the whole world is a (gay) youngest boy, I'm glad his mother didn't stop too early. :)
rivenrock 1 month ago
@rivenrock well, there is also the psychological theories that hold 'helicopter parenting' leads to homosexuality in later life too. :)
Don't worry - we're here for a while yet...
DifficultNerd 2 weeks ago
@DifficultNerd Hope so! :)
rivenrock 2 weeks ago
Comment removed
pacific707 1 month ago
@pacific707 I find babies terrifying. They're small and helpless and seem to look at me if they want me to keep them safe and developmentally moving in the correct direction.
*shudders* terrifying... :)
DifficultNerd 2 weeks ago
Good video, but i think the separation between physical, emotional and spiritual gayness needs to be mentioned.
for instance, someone doesn't need a physical attraction towards the same sex to be gay, sometimes it's only a mental or spiritual attraction. If i start my trans answers soon i'll tackle that from my opinion, but I'd like to hear yours. :)
Azuraspace 1 month ago
The brother theory puts two of my little brothers as highly likely to be gay. One at 99%, and one at 66%.
watevur125 2 months ago
@watevur125 I think you're talking about the brother effect: but you've misunderstood the arithmetic. There is a 11% chance of someone being a gay in the general population. If that chance increases by 33%, then there is a 14.7% chance, if it increases by another 33% (because of a second older brother) and becomes 19.5% and so on... :)
DifficultNerd 2 months ago
@DifficultNerd Ah. Ok. It is still higher for a couple of my little brothers because I have four little brothers. It would be even higher for them if I was actually a boy too.
watevur125 2 months ago
@DifficultNerd Percent percentage is melting my brain
Yaguacho 1 month ago
This is fantastic! I am curious if current hormone levels in the body influence homosexuality (this sounds so bad!) I'm a bi-sexual girl, and I've found that on some contraceptives, I have a flux in testosterone, my voice drops a little and my body hair darkens, I also find myself more attracted to women then too, (sex drive goes way up too!) Either way, I can't complain, admiring more beautiful women more often suits me, juuuuust fine ;D
helsgrinde 2 months ago
@helsgrinde it could be I think, especially because nowadays there are so many added hormones in meat and stuff.. That's also what scientists believe to be one of the reasons why children go in puberty earlier and earlier. So when you're bisexual, I think hormones could influence you, because testosterone is appealing to the male part of your brain.. Just as men exposed to oestrogenes can initiate breast growth, but that fades again whenever they get less oestrogenes.
annzie1991 1 month ago
@helsgrinde Little disclaimer though: this is what I've remembered from my biology lessons, I'm not quite sure I remembered it all correctly. But the overall image should be OK if the details are wrong (overall image being male hormones making females more manly and female hormones making men more feminine)
annzie1991 1 month ago
@helsgrinde On contraceptives? You're finding this stuff on regular and regularly passed out (with documents) contraceptives?
pacific707 1 month ago
@pacific707 I'm a bit more than "a little bit concerned."
pacific707 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
fuck off you faggot.
ZionistCensorship 2 months ago
Could you please cite your research in the description? I'm not disputing your information, I would just like to see the journal articles you are using.
markuskeats 2 months ago
@markuskeats Believe it or not, the citation list of wikipedia's article on Biology and Sexual Orientation is better than my list :)
I'm unable to post a links in the comments here, but if you jump on wikipedia and search for Biology and Sexual Orientation you'll find it :)
DifficultNerd 2 months ago 3
@DifficultNerd Thanks! I study Sociology, so I'll admit I tend to feel that the external environment certainly does have an affect on Children and their development. I know that there is some physiological evidence that incline people to feel the way they do in terms of sexuality... but I have not seen any evidence that disproves being gay can be choice too. Honestly, I think a little of both are right for different people; some people are born that way, others choose it.
markuskeats 2 months ago
@markuskeats .... and there is certainly nothing wrong with that of course :)
markuskeats 2 months ago
Really excellent !!! Keep this info away from the US gop mofos....esp Santorum !!!!
JenniferHaftl 2 months ago
I would like to say once again that I think gay people are whatever higher power there is out theirs way of stopping overpopulation!!!!
kgirl1992 2 months ago
Romney is stalking you . . . I find it very disturbing. Is there anyway to kick him off your pages?
dragonmhs 2 months ago
@dragonmhs I find it disturbing too, I emailed YouTube support but only got an automated "go check our forums" email :(
DifficultNerd 2 months ago
Lovely response and a great amount of research. Bravo.
By the way, Davey was being a bit farcical... ;)
meshadek 2 months ago
@meshadek Alas, the boy hasn't approved this response :(
DifficultNerd 2 months ago
excellently done. the "exotic imprinting" theory - i learned from somewhere (can't remember - long time ago) that the child's biggest desire at the age of 7 is likely to be significant in the adult career. ie, i wanted to be a lawyer - i did indeed work as a paralegal for a few years. my oldest daughter was in choir - she's all over youtube now ("ft nikkita"). my second daughter wanted desperately to be as good an artist as her sister - which she now is (better, even).
threenorns3 2 months ago
@threenorns3 wow - my biggest desire was computers. I guess that applies to being an IT security specialist :)
DifficultNerd 2 months ago
@threenorns3 I wanted to be a housewife... Not there yet... /sadface
meshadek 2 months ago
@meshadek but are you in a career that has something to do with nurturing? could be something as obvious as day care, might be something not quite so obvious, like working in a garden centre or a restaurant.
threenorns3 2 months ago
@threenorns3 I'm in customer care and that may sound like a nurturing task but it is not. My job is to mislead customers into making decisions that benefit the company almost completely without regard for the needs of the customer. I am a salesman of the excessively useless and peddler of the overpriced and unnecessary.
meshadek 2 months ago
@meshadek ....... sounds like parenting to me! (just kidding). but is that the job you were expecting when you took it? if you had your dream job, what would it be?
threenorns3 2 months ago
@threenorns3 I still want to be a housewife ;)
meshadek 2 months ago
Great video! Thanks so much for the many facts! Science is flawed, but it can at least begin to crack into the mystery of human sexuality!
RobTheAndroid 2 months ago
@RobTheAndroid absolutely - and if we give science enough time it will work it out :)
DifficultNerd 2 months ago
Great research, James! I thought several times "Oh, I should tell him about this study," ...and then you would mention it. Keep up the good work!
chakafortuna 2 months ago
@chakafortuna Thanks for that - i tried really hard on this one to produce a serious, verifiable video. Obviously the studies are a little more complex and I've simplified them, but hopefully it will get people curious and they can research for themselves :)
DifficultNerd 2 months ago
I really love this video. I've heard of these theories before, but never in a succinct manner such as this. My friends and family are often puzzled by media's changing stance on "the cause" and their questions are often directed towards me. I can now direct them to this video. Thanks for this awesome resource =]
i3aby913 2 months ago
@i3aby913 I hope it's useful for you and helps explain to them that this is a really complex set of circumstances that leads to something really very simple :)
DifficultNerd 2 months ago
a great video, thanks for putting in the time to research it so thoroughly, also.... first :)
h0110wPeTaL 2 months ago
@h0110wPeTaL awesome :P
DifficultNerd 2 months ago