Is science finally on our side? A recent study that found women with lots of guy friends have more sex with their boyfriends. It has to do with "sperm competition," which is basically a subconscious urge for your partner to want to put his sperm in you before someone else has the chance. (I realize this sounds gross, and your guy friends are not running around trying to hump you, but it's a thing all the same.) Normally when I see pointless studies like this, I roll my eyes—because normally, the research is completely about men. Case in point: "Your penis is prooobably big enough, says schlong study!" And even though the research about friendships and sex is kind of about men too, it's also about women having more sex (and better sex? Let's hope for better sex) with their partners. I think we can all can get behind that.
Of course, there are still plenty of studies that will make you scratch your head and think, Did people with Ph.D.s really spend time and resources on this? Could there possibly be something more worthwhile than finding out if 5.6 inches really constitutes as "average?" Here are some of my new favorites:
Sleeping With More than 20 Women Could Lower Men's Cancer Risk
In October, a Canadian study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology claimed to finally crack the code on the number of women a man should sleep with, you know, for his health. The researchers found that men who slept with more than 20 women had a 28 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than men with fewer partners. One of the study's co-authors said that the "higher frequency of ejaculations" among men with 20 or more partners could explain the results. I'm no scientist, but this seems quite odd, considering that men don't necessarily need a partner at all to ejaculate—never mind 20. I'm still waiting for the study on how many men women need to sleep with to prevent gynecological cancers. Keep us posted, science.
Older, Horny Men Like to Remarry Younger Women
Well this is groundbreaking. A study out of the Pew Research Center found that men trying the knot for the second time want to do so with younger women. "There's a common stereotype that American men who remarry are especially likely to walk down the aisle with a younger woman," writes Gretchen Livingston in a release about the study. "A new Pew Research analysis of census data finds that's largely true." And on that note...
All Straight Men Want to Have Sex with Women in Their 20s
Young and old men alike have a sexual preference for women in their 20s, according to a recent study out of Finland. This is "likely because women of this age are the most fertile," according to the study's authors. Meanwhile, women prefer men their own age or slightly older, says the same study. The researchers didn't explain why, but I'm assuming it has to do with details like "having things in common."
Men Like Lingerie Because Lingerie Means They're About to Have Sex
Even male rats like their partners to put on a little sexy something, according to a study presented last month at the Society for Neuroscience in Washington, D.C. The study went like this: Researchers put little "jackets" on female rats right before male virgin rats were allowed to have sex with them. From that point, the male rats preferred to mate with female rats wearing the jackets, having learned that rat clothes equal sexy time. They also ejaculated more quickly when having sex with female rats wearing the jackets and had more activity in certain parts of their tiny rat brains. Men: Just like rats? I didn't say that. There was a question mark there. Men can be awesome. But...you know.
Men Like Women in High Heels
Here's a pressing scientific question: What type of female footwear has the most sexual appeal to men? There's actually an answer, thanks to a study published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior that found men really dig an extra few inches on our shoes. To conduct the study, researchers had a 19-year-old woman approach men ages 25 to 50 to ask them to take a gender equality (apparently even scientists have a sense of humor!) survey. When the woman wore heels, 83 percent of men were game to answer her questions, but only 47 percent were willing when she was in comfy flats. There were other similar experiments included in the study, all resulting in the same: Men like women in heels. A revelation. Really.
OK, I know I didn't get every sexist study in here. What are some studies you've come across that have made you think, You've got to be kidding me? Share in the comments below!
