When I look at the amazing description of the Universe created by science, I find that it is anything but meaningless — I would define “meaning” as something larger than ourselves that gives a sense of purpose and direction to our lives. Having meaning in life is one of the key ingredients of happiness, because for most people a life worth living needs to have purpose in a larger context. Meaning and ethics

Masochism activates areas of the cortex involved in empathy, emotions and self-awareness — You don’t come across scientific papers about the neuroscience of masochism very often. In fact, BDSM is still a taboo subject in science. Researchers only work on issues for which they can get funding. In the USA, Congress has been reluctant to give money to government agencies like the National…

The neuropeptides oxytocin and vasopressin drive altruistic punishment, social bonding and monogamy — The faithful prairie vole and the promiscuous montane vole Let me introduce you to the prairie vole, a small mammal that has attracted considerable attention in scientific circles. They are rodents with short tails and small ears that are found in North America, from west of the Rockies to east of Appalachia. …

An informal survey of 119 masochists explores the secrets of getting pleasure out of pain — When you think about it, masochism is puzzling. Pain is something that has evolved to keep us from hurting ourselves. If something hurts, we avoid it. Them, why do masochists seek and enjoy pain? Pain is defined by the International Association for the Study of Pain as: “An unpleasant sensory…

How romantic love is poisoned by myths about exclusivity, possession, jealousy, eternal love, mind reading, and many others — Finding the love of your life — and keeping that love alive — is the most common and valued goal in our modern culture. As measure of success in life, it ranks up there with money, health and fame. But love should be more easily attainable than wealth and fame…

Fire Play, the BDSM practice that will set your lover on fire, literally! — Fire Play is a sadomasochist practice that consists of touching the skin of a person with fire, or setting the skin briefly on fire. Its effect is psychological, since the sensation it produces is not painful, just a mild warmth. …

These properties of the human mind make us experience happiness and suffering in ways that other animals do not — The question of human primacy One of the cornerstone ideas of the animal rights movement is that there are no fundamental differences between humans and animals: humans are just animals, only more intelligent (Ryder, 1991). Therefore, some argue, since having a larger brain is just another quirk — like elephants having larger tusks — animals…

Luis is a young lawyer and double amputee. He has to share a room with his secretary Nina in a small village in Castile where his dark businesses have taken them. — Erotic scene from a novel I’m writing in Spanish, “The Fascist, the Red and the Coup.” Sasamón (Burgos, Spain), Friday July 25, 1980 “I want to take a bath, to see if I can relax,” Luis said to Nina. “But if you want to shower first, I don’t mind waiting.”

Sex workers do not want to be rescued by men marrying them, or by conservatives and radical feminists giving them a choice between jail and a bad job — Knight in shining armor wants to marry a prostitute One popular myth, found in songs, novels and movies, is that of the lucky prostitute who gets rescued from her horrible job by a man who marries her. As the story goes, the ex-prostitute is forever indebted to her rescuer. She was forced into prostitution by the unfortunate circumstances of…