Survey Says Men Choose Hotness Over Safe Sex

Pretty women: Making men do dumb things since forever

June 24, 2016 9:00 am

The sky is blue. The Earth is round. And an attractive woman can cause a man do dumb things.

Some things are true no matter where you go.

Especially that last one, which now comes with sad, scientific proof.

Based on a study just published in the online medical journal BMJ Open, a man’s intention to use a condom during sex varies based on how attractive they find their partner.

Essentially, the more attractive the woman, the lower a man’s intent to have safe sex.

And some men, as Ars Technica noted, were more attracted to women who they thought had a high risk of sexually transmitted infections (while, admittedly, some men held the opposite view).

The study was small: it was a survey of 51 heterosexual, English-speaking men between the ages of 18 and 69 (Ed. note: Speaking of intent …). Participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of 20 women on the basis of black and white facial photographs, estimate the likelihood that each woman had a sexually transmitted infection (STI) and indicate their willingness to have sex with or without a condom with each.

Given the limited basis of the study, it’s hard to draw any, ahem, firm conclusions. But it does give some insight into man’s, shall we say, shallower tendencies, which has been born out by a few similar studies.

All we can say about condom use is this: wear one if you don’t know the person 100%. Or you’ll end up being this guy.

Not a “winning” proposition.

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