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There are scientific explanations about why would someone as rich and powerful as Eliot Spitzer put his family, his job and his promising future on the line for an alleged $4,000 date with a prostitute. I was wondering if I have not seen such a question in the media in China because what Spitzer was doing is so popular in China and among people rich and in power. Philadelphia Inquirer’s article (A costly date for Spitzer, but not so surprising, scientists say, 03/11/2008) explains from psychology perspective.

Scientists says it’s more likely to be the latter, or the Power. They attribute this kind of behavior to natural promiscuity combined with opportunity – along with a risk-taking personality common to men like Bill Clinton and John F Kennedy. It’s what makes them seek office and what makes us want to vote for them.

Recently I am reading about “Gateway Drug Hypothesis”. Everything has a beginning, the Gateway. Getting into the gateway doesn’t necessarily warrant to go further on the path. Someone does and others don’t. It depends on the dosage of the “gateway effect” (I might study this dosage effect hypothesis). Power in the sex case may just make it possible to go through the gateway and continue on the path.

Psychologist Christopher Ryan, author of “Sex in Prehistory,” says the desire for sex with more than one person has always been there – for leaders and followers alike. “The desire is not a function of status or power – it’s a question of availability.”What’s relatively new to the human race, he said, is the ability to exercise power and the connection between power and sex.

That’s because, for most of human existence, there was only so far a man could coerce others when food was essentially free and hard to hoard. And until relatively recently, sex with multiple partners was the norm. “It would have been very unusual 100,000 years ago for a person to have one sexual partner for 30 years,” said Ryan in an interview from Barcelona.

We don’t know this for sure, because prehistoric sexual behavior doesn’t fossilize, but there’s much we can infer from studying how people in foraging cultures live today, he said. Such cultures tend to be relatively egalitarian and promiscuous, at least by American standards, he said. But prostitution is rare, as he believes it was for most of our past…….

While Ryan argues that men and women are both naturally promiscuous and power simply gives men the opportunity to follow that nature, psychiatrist Gabriela Cort takes a more open view of the human male. Alpha males – leaders – are often indeed full of pent-up sexual energy, but they don’t always use it to get in trouble, said Cort, author of the upcoming book, “Leading Under Pressure.”

Story becomes different between the sex things and drug use when it is talking about gender. I am going to stop. BTW, in a democratic society, power as a governor is given by the people. So what the people they are.

Filed under: kding and tagged Eliot Spitzer, sexual behavior