Better loving through chemistry

Wed, 27 Sep 2000 19:00:00 +0000

Psychologists think they have an explanation -- finally -- for why men withdraw into solitary silence in response to stress or anger. The latest theory zeros in on oxytocin, a hormone previously thought to do little more than trigger milk flow in pregnant women. The new research is considered a breakthrough in our understanding of human stress.

But it also marks a broader shift in psychology, away from social explanations for human behavior. Burned by their postmillennial status as "soft" scientists unable to prescribe antidepressants, psychologists are turning from their field's humanistic roots and toward biochemical and genetic research. The unwillingness of insurance companies to pay for unlimited psychotherapy is also spurring the change.

"Neural ailments, chemical imbalances and the legitimate and illegitimate use of drugs is occupying the time of more psychologists," says Ronald B. Evans, Ph.D., professor of psychology at East Carolina University in North Carolina. "We are leaving the field as a social science."

Blame it on Gisele

Thu, 25 May 2000 02:49:00 +0000

It's 10 p.m. on a blistering night in Manhattan. Churrascaria Plataforma, a new Brazilian restaurant in Midtown, is overbooked. The hostess sends a quartet of Gucci- and Prada-clad new media executives to the swarming bar for caipirinhas, Brazil's potent national drink, as tuxedoed waiters glide from table to table brandishing skewered meat -- chicken hearts, pork, flank steak -- slicing it high in front of slap-happy American patrons. Brazilians know the rules -- have a nibble at the salad bar, then turn the two-toned coin on your table to green. The meat keeps coming until the waiters see red. New Yorkers "don't know when to quit," sighs the hostess; they squat at the table for hours, then waddle out the door in agony.

Management has the same problem at Rio de Janeiro, a nearby restaurant, and Soho's Riodizio, two of the city's 25 Brazilian restaurants (there are many more Latin-themed eateries), eight of which have opened in the last 18 months. Their appeal -- all the rotisserie-roasted animal flesh you can stuff in your face for about $30 -- isn't limited to gluttons, Latins or those on the high-protein Atkins diet, however. David Rosengarten, co-host of the Food Network's "In Food Today" and a former restaurant reviewer for Gourmet, can land a table anywhere in town. On his nights off, he hits Churrascaria Plataforma. "All things Latin are very hot right now, and Brazil is the fresh face on the block." he says. "It's a culinary cross between mucho and macho."

Salon.com > Amy O'Connor

Better loving through chemistry

Blame it on Gisele