Study Reveals Women Prefer Chill Men…

September 17, 2010 by  
Filed under Analysis

Who am I to argue?   It’s science, baby…

Women generally find calm, collected men more attractive, and scientists now suggest they know the biology of why that is.

Investigations into what makes men desirable often focus on testosterone. The hormone is linked with masculine facial traits, such as larger jaws and heavier brows, and is typically associated with better long-term health. As such, it might at first glance make sense from an evolutionary point of view if women found testosterone-laden men especially attractive.

However, past studies have often revealed that men with high testosterone levels are not automatically appealing to women, who view such testosterone-laden men as having long-term drawbacks. For instance, the macho guys may lead a “player’s” lifestyle, or may also be bad parents.

Instead, human behavioral ecologist Fhionna Moore at the University of Abertay Dundee in Scotland and her colleagues focused on the stress-linked hormone cortisol. Persistently high levels of cortisol can suppress not just the immune system, but also reproductive function. As such, it would make sense if women preferred men with low cortisol levels — that is, those who are not stressed out.

The whole article goes on to talk about how guys who are more laid-back, relaxed, and happy-go-lucky were generally found more attractive than “alpha male” types with high testosterone levels.  I think this comes down to a “looks vs. personality” debate.  Yes, the study was done based on looks, as in a “macho” looking guy vs. a “laid back” looking guy, but when it comes down to it, women prefer a man who has a personality that’s more conducive to what they enjoy, as opposed to a good-looking meathead.

Personality is always the great equalizer in attraction.  Looks fade, the novelty wears off, and when that happens, you’re just stuck with who the person is, and to a lot of women, that matters a great deal.

Casual Sex Leads To Long Term Relationships?

September 9, 2010 by  
Filed under Rants & Reviews

USAToday is reporting on a study about how casual sex doesn’t ruin the prospect of long term relationships.

People who “hook up” for casual sex can have as rewarding a long-term relationship as those who take it slowly and establish a meaningful connection before they have sex, says a new study.

University of Iowa researchers analyzed relationship surveys and found that average relationship quality was higher for people who took it slowly than for those who became sexually involved in “hook-ups,” casual dating, or “friends with benefits” relationships.

However, having sex early on wasn’t the reason for this disparity, according to UI sociologist Anthony Paik. When he factored out people who weren’t interested in getting serious, he found that those who became sexually involved as friends or acquaintances and were open to a serious relationship were just as happy as those who dated but delayed having sex.

The study analyzed a survey of 642 heterosexual adults in Chicago. To measure the quality of the relationships, people answered questions about how much they loved their partner, their level of satisfaction with intimacy in the relationship, the future of the relationship, and how their lives would be different if the relationship ended.

“We didn’t see much evidence that relationships were lower quality because they started off as hook-ups,” Paik, an assistant professor in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said in a UI news release.

“The study suggests that rewarding relationships are possible for those who delay sex. But it’s also possible for true love to emerge if things start off with a more Sex and the City approach, when people spot each other across the room, become sexually involved and then build a relationship,” he added.

I know that personally, most of my relationships grow out of the “casual dating” arena.  I know lots of girls think that having sex with a guy too soon will make him lose interest in her, but I’ve never found that to be the case.  If the guy is only interested in sex in the first place, then he probably will lose interest after getting what he wants (then again, he’d lose interest if it takes too long to get what he wants as well!).  But if a guy is open to having a relationship, and sex happens quickly, that can actually speed up the process by which he’s willing to be in a relationship.

So this study isn’t really that surprising to me.

Science Reveals Ultimate Dance Floor Game

September 9, 2010 by  
Filed under Analysis

Live Science magazine reveals an interesting study that reveals how you can move on the dance floor to capture women’s hearts…

Using computer-generated avatars, psychologists say they have unlocked the dance moves that will capture a woman’s heart. Apparently the speed of a man’s right knee and the size and variety of movements of the neck and torso are key, they suggest.

Throughout the animal kingdom examples abound of males performing courtship dances, attracting females with displays of health and skill. Dances are sexy among humans as well, and scientists wanted to codify what moves ladies like to see in men.

Psychologists at Northumbria University in England filmed 19 male volunteers, ages 18 to 35, with a 12-camera system as the men danced to a German dance track, the kind of drum rhythm one might hear clubbing. None of them were professional dancers.

The men also wore 38 small reflectors all over their body, which the systems monitored to capture the motions of the dancers in three dimensions — the same technique filmmakers used to help create the character of Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” movies. These movements were mapped onto featureless, white, gender-neutral humanoid characters, or avatars.

This way, the 35 heterosexual women the scientists also recruited could rate 15-second clips of each dancer without being prejudiced by each guy’s individual level of physical attractiveness. Each dancer was judged on a scale of one to seven, from extremely bad to extremely good.

Guys whose swagger included larger and more variable movements of the neck and torso were considered attractive by the ladies.

“This is the first study to show objectively what differentiates a good dancer from a bad one,” said researcher Nick Neave, a psychologist at Northumbria University. “Men all over the world will be interested to know what moves they can throw to attract women.”

Curiously, faster bending and twisting movements of the right knee also seemed to catch the eyes of women. As a potential explanation, the researchers noted that 80 percent of all people are right-footed, so most people “are putting their weight on their left leg and using that leg as an anchor while the right can do more fancy things,” Neave suggested. “It is a bit of an odd finding, so we need more studies to see if this feature is replicated.”

He added: “We now know which area of the body females are looking at when they are making a judgment about male dance attractiveness. If a man knows what the key moves are, he can get some training and improve his chances of attracting a female through his dance style.”

In the online version of the journal Biology Letters Sept. 8, the researchers suggest these dance movements could be signs of male health, vigor or strength that men would find hard to fake. Neave said they have preliminary data to show that better dancers are also healthier and are more attractive, and they are exploring these ideas in current research studies.

“The hardest thing is to recruit males to take part,” Neave told LiveScience. “They seem rather reluctant to sign up for studies that involve dancing.”

I’ve long believed that a man’s prowess on the dancefloor is an indicator to women at how good he is in bed, since it communicates movement of the body.   Also, if a woman is willing to dance with you, she’s usually willing to get physical with you in other ways.  So knowing the moves that attract women can definitely be advantageous.

Be sure to check out the videos they include to see examples of the good and bad dance moves.

Sex Last For 49 Days, On Average

September 9, 2010 by  
Filed under Rants & Reviews

Via that bastion of scientific knowledge known as The Sun

BRITONS have sex for an average of 49 days, 13 hours and 41 minutes during their lifetimes, a poll showed yesterday.
The least sexually active enjoy just 30 HOURS compared to 170 DAYS for the most randy.
The average for men is 52 days and eight minutes. For women, it is 47 days, three hours and 36 minutes, said researchers.
Among sexually active people, the average session lasts 19.5 minutes.

BRITONS have sex for an average of 49 days, 13 hours and 41 minutes during their lifetimes, a poll showed yesterday.  The least sexually active enjoy just 30 HOURS compared to 170 DAYS for the most randy.

The average for men is 52 days and eight minutes. For women, it is 47 days, three hours and 36 minutes, said researchers.

Among sexually active people, the average session lasts 19.5 minutes.

I’m guessing this study doesn’t take into account masturbation?  lol.

Study Finds Ben More Attracted To Waists Than Boobs

August 27, 2010 by  
Filed under Analysis

Yet more horny scientists with too much time on their hands…

Researchers found a woman having an “hourglass” shaped figure was more important for a man than her breast size or facial features.

They also discovered that men take a split second to decide if a member of the opposite sex is attractive.

They calculated that a “waist-to-hip ratio” of 0.7, or a waist measuring 70 per cent of the hip circumference, was the “perfect” size.

Women with “hourglass” figures such as Marilyn Monroe, Jessica Alba, the Hollywood actress and Alessandra Ambrosio, the Victoria’s Secret model, were found to posses the “perfect” body.

Scientists concluded that such a small ratio was considered good for a woman’s health and resulted in high fertility.

Dr Barnaby Dixson, a New Zealand anthropologist, studied what different sexes found attractive throughout history.

In his study, a group of volunteers were shown various pictures of a woman, where her hips, bust, and waist were digitally altered.

He then asked them to rate the image for attractiveness and while they studied the photos used infra-red cameras to track their eyes.

Despite most men being drawn initially to the woman’s cleavage, it was her hips and waist that were in fact what they found most attractive.

“Men rated images with an hourglass shape and a slim waist … as most attractive, irrespective of breast size,” said Dr Dixson, from Victoria University of Wellington.

You can read the whole article here.  But it is interesting how most guys will go for a woman with a “nice body” but a sub-par face over a woman with a pretty f ace and a horrible body.  In the article, they make it a point to say “humans simply do not mate randomly.”  And that’s true.  We all have certain things we prefer in a mate.  Guess it just comes down to personal taste in the end.

Confirmed: Women Prefer Hairy Men

August 18, 2010 by  
Filed under Analysis

It seems that there’s an ongoing trend in which women are liking more body hair on their men.

Modern ‘metrosexual’ man seems to have finally had his day as most British women admit to preferring their men hairy, research revealed today.

While recent years have seen the seemingly unstoppable rise of male grooming, 85 per cent of women said that the hirsute look suits men better.

Waxing and excessive shaving got the thumbs down, with girls opting for a ‘real man’ instead.

Shaved chests, plucked eyebrows and the ‘back, sack and crack’ wax were not, after all, the way to a woman’s heart, the survey found.

Only 8 per cent of women said they liked their men groomed to perfection, narrowly beating the 7 per cent who preferred to see a werewolf-like quantity of hair.

Women in the North East in particular were firm fans of ‘manly men’, with 97 per cent wanting their partners to leave their hair alone.

Welsh women were also fans of hairy men, with 91 per cent preferring a Seventies-style ‘rug’ and hairy legs over a smooth, hairless chest.

East Midlands women were the biggest fans of the metrosexual waxed look with 15 per cent preferring carefully groomed men.

The survey of 3,000 British women was commissioned by Sound Asleep and was carried out by OnePoll.com.

I know most of the girls I’ve dated in my life liked my chest hair and things along those lines – which is good because I am one hairy mofo.  Some guys do look better hairless and there are indeed some women who prefer the smooth, hairless style on guys.  But it just goes to show you – you can never tell what is really going to turn a woman on!