>>516111811 (OP)
In some viewers, this associative learning gets strong enough that those roles become part of the arousal template.
This happens in the mesolimbic reward system (nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area) where associations are formed, and in the cortical imagery circuits that simulate scenarios.
For a subset, especially those with vivid imaginative capacity or very high porn exposure, the line blurs. That’s where “erotic target location error” shows up.
So the error isn’t in the “attraction to the female form” itself — it’s in the association between sexual reward and perspective-taking. In real sex, you’re tied into your own body, so the circuit stays clean. In porn, the lack of embodiment can make the brain mis-attribute arousal to the female role instead of just the female body.