The Coolidge Effect: Cheating and amorous because of instinct? It's really just about dopamine!

It seems that we are seeing news about cheating more and more often these days. The first could be because of the developed internet, we now have mobile phones and we can see news and information in almost any app. The second could be that people's curiosity and desire to know can be satisfied by all kinds of information, and cheating news is one of the things people are keener on. Various reasons have contributed to each other, so forming the current network.

Whether it's celebrities or ordinary people, there are countless and endless stories to tell. Cheating is one of the many things that have been talked about since the beginning of time. It's a topic that has been talked about since the dawn of time. People look at it with the mindset of "it's not a big deal to watch", but when they encounter something like this, it becomes a talking point for others.

Based on how often the topic of cheating comes up in the news, it seems to have become the norm. In the case of celebrities, we will see a male celebrity who has married a wife of a thousand beautiful celebrities, and that is cheating. While sighing for the female celebrity and meeting the scum, everyone should criticize the male celebrity. So is there a reverse situation? Of course, there is. There was once an actress who cheated on her husband and was even uglier than he was.

When gossiping, does anyone look into the root of this phenomenon? Probably even less. However, I happen to be one of them, so let's continue to delve into this topic.

One more little story. John Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, once visited a chicken farm with his wife. During the visit, Mrs. Calvin asked the farmer why he had so many hatchable eggs when there were so few roosters. The farmer proudly explained that his roosters had to do "work" dozens of times a day. After hearing this, she asked the farmer to tell the President about it.

After hearing this, the president asked the farmer if the rooster served the same hen every time. The farmer immediately denied that there were many different hens. So Coleridge asked the farmer to tell his wife about their conversation.

I think the farmer probably had a puzzled look on his face at the time and wanted to laugh but was afraid to. This story stems from a word, the Coolidge Effect, which we will talk about today.

I will say one more research experiment that proves the Coolidge effect. After reading it you will know what the Coolidge effect is and why it has something to do with cheating. Scientists put a male rat and a group of female rats in an enclosed space to go into heat. Without even thinking about it, the male rat died happily ever after. Once each female rat had mated with the male, the male rat went into sage time (a period of inactivity) and stopped paying attention to the females.

But then a new female in heat is put in and the male rat is refreshed and exposed to new rains. The male rat should enter sage time after mating once, but does not appear until after all the females have mated. When a new female rat appears, the sage time seems to end immediately.

The Coolidge effect is a manifestation of the fact that the new opposite sex will become aroused again and that the period of inactivity is eliminated or reduced. It simply means that animals seek out different objects, preferring the new to the old, and can also be said to be able to recognize the opposite sex that has already mated. So corresponding to humans, it could be shown that humans also cheat and are not limited to men and women. Women have also been shown to have the Coolidge effect, but men are more promiscuous.

Why would a person want to find someone else when they already have a partner? Probably because of instinct. It is physically known from experiments with rats that the presence of new opposite sex eliminates or reduces sage time in male rats. The male rats will continue to fight because they want to reproduce and leave their offspring behind, which is psychological. Males do this to perpetuate genes and females do this to select for better genes. This is the same for humans. It's practically written into the genes.

From an instinctive point of view, leaving offspring sometimes seems to be the point of their existence, whether in animals or humans. But humans are different from animals. We humans are moral, orderly, and social, and we use laws to regulate our behavior. So we cannot use the Coolidge effect to justify ourselves. Cheating is cheating. There is no such thing as justification. When someone has been identified, or even married to that person, then you can't have an affair with someone else.

So what drives the Coolidge effect? It's a matter of physiological need, and dopamine is responsible for that in the body. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is wound up from neurons and is associated with the passions and feelings a person has. Excitement and joy are caused by dopamine. The more dopamine there is, the more excited and happy a person is. Dopamine is also a substance that is secreted in large quantities when we fall in love and mate. So there is a saying that the essence of love is that when you meet someone you secrete a lot of dopamine. And falling in love is also a chemical reaction in the brain.

When you meet someone and the dopamine is produced in huge amounts and then you are together, then the dopamine stays at a higher level and doesn't go up again, that is, it reaches a dopamine threshold. But when you get used to this dopamine production, two people can become sluggish. This is why many people feel indifferent to each other after years of being in a relationship or married.

So how do you break through that threshold at this time? Definitely by increasing stimulation and promoting more dopamine production. Think of the Coolidge Effect and you'll know what the easiest way to do this is. That's right, a new member of the opposite sex. The novelty and curiosity that comes with the new opposite sex promote the Coolidge Effect, breaking the dopamine threshold.

Having said that, we can get a clear picture of the cause-and-effect relationship. As usual, we cannot use the Coolidge effect or instinct or dopamine to justify cheating. Unlike animals, humans can and should take responsibility for our actions. Love and marriage are not just about satisfying physical needs, but more importantly, spiritual and emotional needs, love and responsibility. So don't ever pursue love and marriage for physical needs!

I think it is a summary of the main points :

1. you will become aroused again when a new member of the opposite sex comes along, eliminating or reducing the expression of the underage period is the Coolidge effect. In simple terms, this means that animals seek out different objects, preferring the old to the new, and can also be said to be able to recognize the opposite sex that they have already mated with. So corresponding to humans, it can be shown that humans also cheat, and it is not limited to men and women. Women have also been shown to have the Coolidge effect, but men are more promiscuous.

2. The Coolidge effect occurs when males do it to perpetuate their genes and females do it to select for better genes. This is the same for humans. It is written into the genes.

3. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, made up of twisted neurons, that is associated with human passions and feelings. Feelings of excitement and pleasure are caused by dopamine. The more dopamine there is, the more excited and happy a person is. Dopamine is also a substance that is secreted in large quantities when we fall in love and mate. So there is a saying that the essence of love is that when you meet someone you secrete a lot of dopamine. And falling in love is also a chemical reaction in the brain.

4. Being with someone keeps dopamine at a level that reaches a threshold for a long time. The threshold can only be broken by stimulating the production of more dopamine. The fastest way to do this is with a new person of the opposite sex.

5. We cannot use the Coolidge effect or instinct or dopamine to justify cheating behavior. People are not like animals, so we can and should take responsibility for our actions at the same time. Love and marriage are not just about satisfying physical needs, but more importantly, spiritual and emotional needs, love and responsibility. So don't ever pursue love and marriage for physical needs!