# what does a sperm feel? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 9, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884 "2009-11-09T05:22:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/21 "2009-11-09T07:47:05Z")
Do _most_ people identify with the sperm? I don’t (or with the ovum, really, to be fair). I think anthropomorphism is a reasonable explanation, but I’m not convinced this is necessarily the entire explanation. ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/22 "2009-11-09T07:59:12Z")
> [@TraineePsych](#): > > Do _most_ people identify with the sperm? I don’t (or with the ovum, really, to be fair). I don’t have any hard statistics, but portrayals in media such as “Red Dwarf”,“The Simpsons” or “Look Who’s Talking” and expressions like “a gleam in your father’s eye” suggests that is the case. If you ask people to imagine where a person is before conception I suspect they’ll all say the sperm. IOW while I cant think of countless examples indicating that people identify with the sperm, I can’t think of even one where people identify with the ovum. > [@](#): > > I think anthropomorphism is a reasonable explanation, but I’m not convinced this is necessarily the entire explanation. Perhaps not, but I see no cause to invoke any other reason. It explains all the observations perfectly, so Billy Ockham says that’s all we should use. ---
**Author:** ![StrangeBird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e480ec/32.png) [@StrangeBird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StrangeBird)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/23 "2009-11-09T08:10:37Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Perhaps not, but I see no cause to invoke any other reason. It explains all the observations perfectly, so Billy Ockham says that’s all we should use. Fair enough. I wonder if gender also plays a role here (whether males more strongly identify with sperm), but am not really invested enough to investigate it. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/24 "2009-11-09T13:08:07Z")
Does an atom from a halogen like chlorine _want_ to bond with a sodium atom? In a sense, it does. We might use “want,” very loosely, to describe a behavior which doesn’t in the least actually represent a true sentient feeling, desire, or emotion. If that chlorine atom behaves in such a way that it’s useful shorthand to describe it as “wanting” to bond, well and good … but don’t confuse it with actual emotions. ---
**Author:** ![Anaglyph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Anaglyph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaglyph)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/25 "2009-11-09T13:29:18Z")
sperm are [attracted by the scent of lily-of-the-valley](http://www.google.ch/search?hl=de&q=lily-of-the-valley+sperm&btnG=Suche&meta=&aq=f&oq=) ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/26 "2009-11-09T13:54:13Z")
As to how sperm “strive” towards the egg, they are guided by chemotaxis, IIRC. It’s a simple matter of proteins reacting to the environment around them. For the Philosophy 101 side of the question, I would refer you to the book “I Am A Strange Loop” by Douglas Hofstadter, which I’ve been reading for several months now. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/27 "2009-11-09T15:19:15Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > Ova don’t \*do \*anything.They are featureless spheres floating along on the stream, completely inanimate. Hmmmmmm Sounds like my boss. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/28 "2009-11-09T15:26:37Z")
dropzone: > [@](#): > > Are we into November already? Does this mean we get the castoffs of schools still operating on quarters? What schools are those, Atari University? Nintendo Tech? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/29 "2009-11-09T15:39:46Z")
> [@TraineePsych](#): > > Fair enough. I wonder if gender also plays a role here (whether males more strongly identify with sperm), but am not really invested enough to investigate it. The OP is a bit ludicrous but if he really can’t look outside himself enough to realize that half of humanity doesn’t produce sperm and may be a bit more ‘attached’ to the egg’s p.o.v. (if they give it any thought at all when _Look Who’s Talking_ isn’t on), I’m not sure anything but the book _Where Did I Come From?_ will be useful. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/30 "2009-11-09T16:27:43Z")
> [@cmkeller](#): > > What schools are those, Atari University? Nintendo Tech? Pinball State. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/31 "2009-11-09T16:58:25Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Are we into November already? Does this mean we get the castoffs of schools still operating on quarters? 😉 November? Seriously? How come every time someone stupid comes along, refusing to capitalize or form coherent thoughts, posters blame it on school letting out? December- is it winter break already? June- the kids are out for the summer! August- all those summer schools are over. Seriously, it’s like every month you could claim that some school somewhere has let its class out. That _last_ month I’d think would produce stupid posters would be November… > [@Mojo\_Pin](#): > > I assume this is the result of inference from observations…what experiments specifically lead to this conclusion? I put about three seconds into trying to Google something up, but I lack good keywords, so I’ll describe one such experiment. You set the child in front of a video, live play, puppet show or something. Two characters play with an object. Bobby puts it away in, say, a red box and then leaves the room. While he’s gone, the Sally moves the toy from the red box to a blue one. Then Bobby walks back in the room. The researcher then asks the kid “where will Bobby look for the ball?” If the child says the red box, then the child understands that Bobby has different knowledge than the child and Sally. If the child says it’s the blue box, then the child thinks that Bobby knows the same thing as the child. > [@Blake](#): > > I’ll bother chasing down the references when you show that you are worth the effort. Why so mean? I see no evidence that **Mojo** ’s intentions are less than honorable. > [@Blake](#): > > Ova don’t \*do \*anything.They are featureless spheres floating along on the stream, completely inanimate. > > It is hardly surprising that most people identify with the sperm. I would be amazed if anyone identified with the ovum, simply because it has no human characteristics whatsoever. Speak for yourself. I’d identify with the ovum. It’s what gave me all my mitochondria and such. And it looks more like the end-product zygote than the sperm, so I’d say it’s more human-seeming than the sperm. To me, the ovum is ‘the baby’ and the sperm just ‘activates’ it. I don’t think of the sperm as where I came from anymore than I think that the light comes from the switch. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/32 "2009-11-09T17:03:01Z")
> [@confission](#): > > thanks for the input, polemic. i can type more effeciently and still maintain just as much meaning by not capitalizing Maybe to you. In polite societies some consideration is often given to the reader, however. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/33 "2009-11-09T17:18:52Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Maybe to you. In polite societies some consideration is often given to the reader, however. Perhaps **confission** thinks that when they he does not capitalize then it means that the whole world does not care about capitalization. Essentially he is largely incapable of identifying with others because he does not comprehend that others are actually different personalities. A tip o the hat to **Blake** ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/34 "2009-11-09T17:20:18Z")
Brian Ekers: > [@](#): > > Pinball State. Ah, yes. Their sports teams are the “Wizards”, aren’t they? ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/35 "2009-11-09T17:54:31Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > November? Seriously? How come every time someone stupid comes along, refusing to capitalize or form coherent thoughts, posters blame it on school letting out? True. He might’ve just dropped out, refusing to kowtow to Authority’s insistence on correct capitalization. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/36 "2009-11-09T18:07:13Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > November? Seriously? How come every time someone stupid comes along, refusing to capitalize or form coherent thoughts, posters blame it on school letting out? December- is it winter break already? June- the kids are out for the summer! August- all those summer schools are over. Seriously, it’s like every month you could claim that some school somewhere has let its class out. That _last_ month I’d think would produce stupid posters would be November… Seriously. This joke has been going around here since I actually was in high school, and it was unfunny and jerkish then. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/37 "2009-11-09T18:22:39Z")
> [@Blake](#): > > I don’t have any hard statistics, but portrayals in media such as “Red Dwarf”,“The Simpsons” or “Look Who’s Talking” and expressions like “a gleam in your father’s eye” suggests that is the case. You left out the old belief that the sperm actually contained a “[little man](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Homunculus_of_spermists)”. No, not the one in the boat - the other one. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/38 "2009-11-09T18:24:47Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > 1. Don’t drink the bong water. but it smells so delicious! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/39 "2009-11-09T18:26:58Z")
In answer to the thread title. A sperm feels sticky. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884/40 "2009-11-09T18:34:21Z")
In the concept of a soul, IMHO (and what I believe is divine revelation), the sperm (seed) is part of the very heart of the father, who ultimately is our Heavenly Father, it is a part that the woman desires to give life to. This wanting to give of one’s very heart (on the part of the man) + wanting to give life to that part (on the part of the woman) is the basis of sexual attraction. A man in touch with this may be able to feel that very part of his heart, when entering a woman, as a very childlike part of himself all of a sudden entering a very warm loving place. (again IMHO) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-a-sperm-feel/516884.md?page=3)