Study: Men Losing Their Minds Over Women
September 7, 2009 by Lin Edwards(PhysOrg.com) -- Research reported in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology has shown that men go ga-ga over pretty women. They simply lose their minds (while women keep theirs).
The study measured brain function in 40 male heterosexual student volunteers, who were asked to perform a standard memory test in which they were shown a stream of letters and had to quickly say if each was the same as the previous letter. They then spent several minutes talking to either a man or an attractive woman and then repeated the test.
The researchers found that even a few minutes with the attractive woman was enough to make the students slower and less accurate on the test. The more attracted they were, the worse their results.
They also studied the effects on women students of being in the company of handsome men, and found the test scores were unaffected.
The psychologists Johan C. Karremans, Thijs Verwijmeren, Rila M. Pronk, and Meyke Reitsma, from Radboud University in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, think evolutionary processes have programmed men to regard women first as potential mates. They temporarily concentrated their 'cognitive resources', or brain power, on trying to impress the woman, and there was little left over for the task they had been given.
According to Dr George Fieldman, a member of the British Psychological Society, when a man is talking to an attractive woman he is 'reproductively focused' and concerned with passing on his genes. Women are less focused on appearances, and look for other signs of a perfect mate, such as youth, kindness and wealth.
The idea for the study came from one of the scientists, who was so impressed by a beautiful woman he met that when she asked where he lived, he had forgotten his own address! He had temporarily lost his mind.
The study may have practical implications, both for the workplace and for mixed-gender schools.
More information: Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, Volume 45, Issue 4, July 2009, Pages 1041-1044. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.05.004
© 2009 PhysOrg.com
8 hours ago
Wonder how this correlates with the age of the test subjects. Since we're talking about students here, probably all less than say 30, right?
Not that women don't have them too, theirs are just different. Besides, its a well know fact that women are emotional/hysterical/hormonally challenged and can't process information as well, n'est pas? ;-) At least women have an excuse. (I'm KIDDING)
This is just a lame attempt at humor with a little tint of seriousness to recognize there diversions that affect even the most disciplined among us.
lol! is this another unitless measure?
lol! then maybe it's the reserve that has a problem to begin with!
-by Lin Edwards
lol! Most agree that women are ambivalent, even across cultures... but not this much!
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@Caliban
maybe... and it gets worse with age:
trying to salvage reputation by commissioning a study! lol!
I'll certainly vote for "women are less concerned with appearances" ... day before yesterday, I got that "deer in the headlight" look from a very nice woman. It was only when I got home that I discovered my "natural blow dry" hair (leaving my car windows open) made it look like one of the 3 Stooges.
You can skip the bachelor and just go with the money.
I disagree. When I was in my teens and twenties yes I was easily distracted by beautiful women. However, now that I am in my late 40's, experience has shown me that beautiful people, especially those at the very end of the Bell curve, tend to be superficial people that I don't enjoy spending time with, and thus they aren't ideal mate candidates. At least this has been my experience. Yes there are exceptions, no I am not saying that all attractive people are superficial.
Full agreement with you. It has been a little while since a beautiful face made me so gaga that I drove off a bridge.
In general, a men will fall for any physical objects they want, including women. Women on the other hand, will fall for any emotion that feels good, like flowers, telling them how beautiful they are, how much we love them etc.
This is not rocket science, it's a fact of life, and for a good reason...
Men are physically strong to work and protect. Women are emotionally strong to raise babies and take care of the family and all the stuff men don't like (or can't do because of work) to do (cleaning etc.)
We can not live without one another, even if we are not at all on the same wavelength.
If men didn't need women we wouldn't buy anything.
Actually it will have the opposite effect, as the mind goes into overdrive trying to work out how you can wrap him round your little finger :)
Ooh! Genuine insight! (-:
-- Robin Williams