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Fact: Sex is loaded with health and happiness benefits (including this one, which is so surprising!). But before you get busy, you need to get in the mood — which is easier said than done. Researchers have long attempted to crack the code of female arousal. And while just what exactly turns on the majority of women remains a mystery, a new study by Kathleen Vohs in Scientific American gets us a little closer to the answer.
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Scientists have speculated that men tend to be more "short-term reward-seeking" when it comes to sex, while women are more apt to follow a "long-term risk-aversion" path. In other words, studies shows that guys are quicker to jump in the sack than women. So, researchers in Belgium devised an experiment to see at what point women's view of sex switched from risk-aversion to reward-seeking. The results are very interesting:
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When the researchers showed the male participants "sexualized" images, like a photo of a lady in a bra, men quickly admitted their interest in having sex, while women were more likely to hold firm. Even photos of hot guys in boxer shorts didn't get them the least bit hot and bothered, but something else did. Touching the boxer shorts caused them to let their guard down and admit their interest in taking things to the next level.
"Men can easily shift into reward mode in the presence of sexual stimuli, whereas reward mode comes online when women connect sex to emotions (through touch)," wrote one of the study's authors.
Boxer shorts: Apparently we are powerless to resist them. Take note, guys!