'50 Shades of Grey' examined by Dr. Oz

50 Shades of Grey has swept the nation, and Dr. Oz takes a closer look at why.

Women across the United States are being mesmerized by E.L. James’ 50 Shades of Grey. The book is, as most know by now, highly erotic and a bit over the line of everyday norms, but Dr. Oz wanted to find out, just what is the real driving force behind the popularity of the book? His conclusion?

The brain.

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview a young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she leaves with more information than she bargained for—a desperate need to get close to the man she finds beautiful, brilliant, intimidating and enigmatic. However, Grey will only consent to the union on his own terms—completely his own terms. Ultimately, Ana has the opportunity to explore her own dark desires with Grey—a journey that millions of American women are finding impossible to resist, and sparking explorations in bedrooms around the nation.

According to Dr. Oz and his panel of experts, the brain is the key to jumpstarting the libido, and a scintillating book such as 50 Shades of Grey is just the vehicle to get it going.

“Your brain fuels your sexual libido,” Dr. Evelyn Minaya, gynecologist, said emphatically. “This is a little spark, bursts into flame.”

“I think a real light bulb went off for a lot of women when they read this,” Dr. Alicia Salzer, psychiatrist, told Dr. Oz as to why so many women are obsessed with this book.

Sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman agreed. “He’s taking control, she has no choice but to lay back and receive,” she said of the book’s plot. “And that is a really erotic prospect for women, and gets the imagination going.”

The book has had the effect it does, Dr. Oz said, “because of our brains. … arousal and libido, it’s all about the human brain.” In his Dr. Oz kind of way, he went on to describe and present the biological reaction that occurs when the brain is stimulated, and how arousal happens in women, reinforcing women’s desire to have sex.

Although most of the audience was cheering for the book, at least one woman had concerns, stating that she felt that the book and its premise could reinforce domestic violence. Dr. Salzer, however, disagreed, although she did agree that the character is a stalker, manipulative, divisive and undermining. “What is empowering to read about is that she continues to find her equilibrium and find her voice. So, this is not a book about a woman being forced to do things she doesn’t want to do. It’s about a woman who agrees to do things that are at the edge of her comfort zone in exchange for the sexual power she gets when she sees her man completely beside himself with desire for her.”

Many women and men in the audience agreed that the book has changed their sex lives, and brought them closer together. But, ultimately, whether or not 50 Shades of Grey is for the individual reader can only be determined by the reader herself.

Image: Wikimedia Commons