2 June 2008
Bikinis Trigger Gimme, Gimme, Gimme Response
by George Atkinson

Writing in the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers have observed that watching a sexy video or handling lingerie will cause men to seek immediate gratification - even when it involves non-sexy things such as money, soda or candy.

The researchers found that the desire for immediate rewards increased in men who touched bras, looked at pictures of beautiful women, or watched video clips of young women in bikinis running through a park. "It seems that sexual appetite causes a greater urgency to consume anything rewarding," they suggest. "Thus, the activation of sexual desire appears to spill over into other brain systems involved in reward-seeking behaviors, even the cognitive desire for money."

The researchers believe that sexy stimuli bring men's minds to the present, as opposed to the future. "The study demonstrates that bikinis cause a shift in time preference: Men live in the here and now when they glance at pictures featuring women in lingerie. That is, men will choose the immediately available rewards and seek immediate gratification after sex cue exposure," they contend in their article.

Do all straight men respond the same? No, say the researchers, noting that some men are highly responsive to rewards while others are not so sensitive, and the more reward-sensitive men are the impatient ones. In fact, doing a task designed to inspire financial satisfaction reduced the bikini-inspired impatience, just as feeling full reduces food cravings. The researchers drolly suggest that men may want to be aware of bikinis' effects on their bank accounts and waistlines.

Related:
New Book Slams Caveman Myth
Erotic Images Make Men Take Financial Risks
Subliminal Erotic Images Get Our Brains All Hot And Bothered
Male And Female Brains React Differently To Sexy Stimuli

Source: University of Chicago

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