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 in 40 male heterosexual student volunteers, who were asked to perform a standard 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 , 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. 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: , Volume 45, Issue 4, July 2009, Pages 1041-1044. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2009.05.004

© 2009 PhysOrg.com


print this article email this article download pdf blog this article bookmark this article     Stumble it Digg this share on Facebook retweet share on Reddit add to delicious
Rate this story - 4.8 /5 (24 votes)

Rank Filter

Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

  • RayCherry - Sep 07, 2009
    • Rank: 4 / 5 (4)
    This is why men forget anniversaries ...
  • Alexa - Sep 07, 2009
    • Rank: 4 / 5 (4)
    Basically it's subconscious leveling of cognitive functions for the sake of easier communication.
  • SJO - Sep 07, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (9)
    ....and ten thousand male heterosexual readers nod their heads and say, "Yep."
  • getgoa - Sep 07, 2009
    • Rank: 4 / 5 (4)
    The bible is the first research noted (after 3562A.M.)for this, it has been written that wine and women make wise men fall off, and shall rebuke the prudent. Chapter 19 verse 2 douay-rheims bible.
  • Allaytros - Sep 07, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (3)
    So, in a follow up study have the single women talk to a bachelor who is extremely wealthy and a philanthropist and see if it impairs their cognition.
  • Caliban - Sep 07, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
    Interesting, but one notices that there is no conclusion beyond the basic fact of the matter. So, what is it? Re-allocation of cognitive resources towards the goal of getting the girl- or at least thinking of it?
    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?
  • Nan2 - Sep 07, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
    What happens when you do the same but in place of the attractive woman you use a nice cold frosty and frothy mug of beer 6" away or a favored sports playing during a nail biting competition or the smell and sight of a nice slab of a meat sizzling on a grill? Diversion are aplenty some of which are firmly rooted in our DNA to make overcoming them very difficult.

    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.
  • poi - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    The more attracted they were, the worse...


    lol! is this another unitless measure?

    ...and there was little left over for the task they had been given.


    lol! then maybe it's the reserve that has a problem to begin with!

    . Women are less focused on "appearances", and look for other signs of a perfect mate, such as "youth"
    -by Lin Edwards

    lol! Most agree that women are ambivalent, even across cultures... but not this much!

    ------------------------------------------

    @Caliban

    Since we're talking about students here, probably all less than say 30, right?


    maybe... and it gets worse with age:

    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!


    trying to salvage reputation by commissioning a study! lol!
  • Husky - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    ...and getting more attractive wimen to perform studie on...
  • docknowledge - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
    It gets worse with age, poi. When I was 18, I had no idea what I preferred in women. Now that I have a glimmering, it's hard to resist a good prospect.

    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.
  • Velanarris - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    So, in a follow up study have the single women talk to a bachelor who is extremely wealthy and a philanthropist and see if it impairs their cognition.

    You can skip the bachelor and just go with the money.
  • DozerIAm - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: 3 / 5 (2)
    and it gets worse with age

    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.
  • Caliban - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    Dozer-
    Full agreement with you. It has been a little while since a beautiful face made me so gaga that I drove off a bridge.
  • otto1923 - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    Duh, uh, what?
  • Alienizer - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    They got it all wrong. Men are all about physical, such as women, tools, cars etc. Women are all about emotions, nice dresses, being pretty, love, affection etc.

    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.
  • Velanarris - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: 4 / 5 (1)
    They got it all wrong. Men are all about physical, such as women, tools, cars etc. Women are all about emotions, nice dresses, being pretty, love, affection etc.
    Men collect things so they are more appealing to women. Women look at the things a man has and judge his affluence and personality based on his taste.

    If men didn't need women we wouldn't buy anything.
  • paulthebassguy - Sep 08, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
    Heh I wonder if women would have the same reaction if they were placed in a room with some expensive italian shoes, and an episode of Greys Anatomy playing in the background.
  • vika_Tae - Sep 09, 2009
    • Rank: 5 / 5 (2)
    So, in a follow up study have the single women talk to a bachelor who is extremely wealthy and a philanthropist and see if it impairs their cognition.


    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 :)
  • austux - Sep 12, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    getting more attractive wimen to perform studie on

    Ooh! Genuine insight! (-:
  • Mike22 - Sep 14, 2009
    • Rank: not rated yet
    "See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time."
    -- Robin Williams

September 7, 2009 all stories

Comments: 20

4.8 /5 (24 votes)
  • Stumble this up

  • Digg this

  • share this

  • hide
  • Related Stories

  • Men and women are programmed differently when it comes to temptation
    created Jul 15, 2008 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • The ugly truth about one night stands
    created Aug 11, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • When it comes to drinking, college men not looking for a 'girl gone wild'
    created Mar 09, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • Women Use Facial Cues to Determine Relationships
    created May 09, 2006 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0
  • Women Are Sort of More Tentative Than Men, Aren't They?
    created Aug 24, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0



  • hide
  • Relevant PhysicsForums posts

  • The obesity epidemy
    created 4 hours ago
  • 23 Years in a Vegetative State....or not?
    created 9 hours ago
  • Has the H1N1 vaccine been scientifically proven to work?
    created Nov 24, 2009
  • nesfatin
    created Nov 22, 2009
  • More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences

Other News

Study Finds Eating Fruits and Vegetables Lowers Risks of Heart Disease

Medicine & Health / Health

created 1hour ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study of adults aged 70 or older found that increased servings of fruits and vegetables were significantly associated with a decrease of cognitive impairment, and that those eating three or more servings ...


Scale of justice

fMRI scans used in murder trial sentencing

Medicine & Health / Other

created 3 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scans have been used, possibly for the first time, in the sentencing phase of a murder trial in Chicago in the US.


Drug users know their stuff

Drug users know their stuff

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created 14 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 2

Drug users are well informed about the harms associated with the drugs they use, and perceive alcohol and tobacco to be amongst the most dangerous substances, according to a survey by UCL (University College ...


Researchers identify proteins in lung cancer cells that may provide potential drug targets

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 4 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the Boston University Biomedical Engineering Department have identified a number of proteins whose activation allows them to distinguish between cancer and ...


The tall and short of diseases

Medicine & Health / Health

created 2 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Research shows that being taller means a fatter pay check and an increased risk of some cancers.