Sex and food - pleasures and cyclical states that undergo similar processes: Food spiced with chili and sex spiced with sado-masochism have common features
Abstract
Mating and food consumption are processes that ensure survival of an organism. Whilst food consumption is essential for survival of the organism itself, the mating is crucial for survival of the survival of the species.
Both are also discussed to be potentially possible causes of nonsubstance based addiction, respectively obsessive behaviors that may cause discomfort and health-related risks. As opposed to substance-based addictions and other behavioral addictions, these seem to be some kind of extreme manifestations of regular behavior.
With increased exposure to certain types of stimuli and adaptation, or rather tolerance creation, is created and need for further increase of consumption is taking place. Such phenomenon is currently discussed for case of hot food and sado-masochistic behaviors.
Both provide a form of extreme experiences. The risk may be that the element of behavior is later considered mandatory and becomes center-point of related behavioral patterns which later constitute the compulsive addiction-like states.
An important element differentiating the addiction-like behavior from a substance based one is disgust-based regulatory mechanism that ensures regulation of the motivation which is missing in substance-based one.