Listen up, your libido is calling
Women may be ignoring their own wolf calls, say researchers who found a way to quantify sex drive — the first test of its kind. Thirty men and women filled out a survey after seeing clips of sexual images as their brain activity was monitored. Arousal was the same, but only the men admitted to it, says study author Yoram Vardi, M.D., of Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel. Why? Women fear letting go and being in their body, says Aline Zoldbrod, Ph.D., author of Sexsmart. Here are three ways to get control of your on/off switch.
Lotion Motion
The best place to discover yourself is in the bath, right? Wrong. Sexologist Blaise Parker, Ph.D., says the fun begins after you're dry. Parker suggests applying lotion afterward, paying close attention to how it feels being touched and how it feels to do the touching. For an added lift: Chew on some Good & Plenty licorice while you apply cucumber lotion, like Bath & Body Works' Cucumber Melon (Bath and Bodyworks). The combo increases blood flow to the vagina, according to the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation.
Hot Little Pill
In a study published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, women taking the supplement ArginMax reported a boost in sex drive. The secret? L-arginine, one of the pill's main ingredients, may help blood flow to the right spot. "L-arginine enhances the production of nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels and could improve desire," says Cynthia Finley, a nutritionist at Johns Hopkins University Bayview Medical Center.