What Lust Does To Us?

We all know that true love is a wonderful thing. It's deep and meaningful and makes us feel immensely incredible. But sometimes our hearts and other parts of us want something similar but in a fraction of the time. That's where lust comes in handy.

We've heard of the elusive "love at first sight." It's rare and often confused with a much more common "lust at first sight." I'm sure I'm not the only one who's taken a glance at a stranger walking down the street and fallen immediately in lust with them. Not wanting to have two kids in a minivan in a suburb in Massachusetts, just having a steamy fling with them. It's completely natural to have these feelings, but what happens when lust becomes a problem?

The Problem with Lust

Has your intense physical attraction to someone ever blinded you from rationality and blatant common sense? Lust is a very intense and sudden attraction to someone from a purely physical angle. As Robin Williams brilliantly put it, "The problem is that God gave men a brain and a penis and only enough blood to run one at a time." But this is not only an issue for men. Although women have a better time hiding it, lust runs wild in their veins at times and will sometimes make them give their phone number to the hot waiter after a few too many drinks.

Some of these encounters, with lust taking the wheel of our actions, can be dangerous. It has led many to go home with someone after a first date, although a lust-free mind would be against it with concerns like, "Do you even really know this person? What if it isn't safe? How do you know this person isn't a homicidal serial killer who just happens to look charming over a plate of spaghetti in the candlelight of a restaurant?"

The Influence of Lust on Decision Making

According to psychologist Mary C. Lamia, lust often has the effect of minimizing the reasoning capacity in humans. People who are in the throes of lust may lose their sensibilities since lust seems unable to recognize the reality of the situation or motivates one to neglect left. Lust in these moments can be seen as the devil on your shoulder, encouraging you to take risks that are just a little too far and getting just a little too close to the ledge.

Lamia further explains how lust isn't opt-in for the relentless pursuit of another person in spite of intellectual reasons and sometimes regardless of emotional barriers such as guilt or shame. Lust is seen as a famished stomach or a mosquito bite, something we need to instantly suppress or resist because once it gets out of hand, it's hard to stop.

The Influence of Lust: A Psychological Perspective

In one study, Canadian researchers from McMaster University showed men pictures of attractive and not so attractive women. These men were then informed that they would be given $15 or $75 for free. They were told that the $15 would be given to them the next day, while the $75 would be given to them a few days afterwards. Men who saw the pictures of the prettier women chose the $15 instead of the $75.

Overall, the study proved that lust causes us to focus on the present and forget about long-term thinking. Lustful people make urgent decisions in which they are willing to ignore actions that seem smarter. Researchers concluded that lust ignites a man's limbic system while his prefrontal cortex heads south, leaving the judgment area of the brain unattended.

The fact that lust and sexual desire make us more adventurous and more likely to act on a whim can have consequences. Las Vegas, known as the city of sin, is full of lustful people wanting to fulfill all of their fantasies for a short time, not thinking of the consequences. Hotel owners perfectly hire sexy people knowing that it will trigger that part of the guests' brains to spend a lot more than they rationally would. It's true that sex sells, tipping a stripper and buying more drinks to keep flirting with the hot bartender are very common in these toxic environments.

Resisting the Temptation of Lust

Now knowing this, do you believe that you could resist the desire of lust, or would you find yourself giving in to the temptation and leaving all reason behind? Don't worry; it is possible to resist, but one must have their priorities and orders and their genitals safely tucked away.

We must not forget those who do not have strong sexual desire, as in asexuals, for whom lust is almost nonexistent. Do you find yourself tempted by lust? Leave a comment below.