Psych2020.com

The legendary Roy Orbison knew what he was doing when he wrote those famous lyrics. Why? Because the latest research shows that saying or thinking “yeah, yeah, yeah” is about as brainy as a man can get when he comes face to face with a beautiful woman.

If I remember correctly, it starts in grade school. Boys get ga-ga over girls and start performing stupid tricks in their presence. Not so when they’re hanging out with a pack of their own. Unless they’re dared to, of course. But that’s different.

Scott Barry Kaufman relates this experience in the May 18, 2009 issue of Psychology Today: “I remember a time I was chatting with a woman I was very interested in. My heart was racing, I was sweating profusely, and the room was spinning uncontrollably. Suddenly a group of friends came over and asked me to introduce them to the girl I was talking to. With all eyes on me, I remember turning to look at my best friends in the entire world and realizing, much to my horror and embarrassment, that I couldn’t remember any of their names!”(1)

Sound all too familiar?

It’s Nature, Not a Phenomenom

At last, what we’ve all experienced, is confirmed by research. A new study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology in July 2009 is entitled “Interacting with women can impair men’s cognitive functioning”.

That pretty much hits the nail on the head, doesn’t it?

Two experiments were conducted as part of the study and the first one was this: 40 male, heterosexual undergrads were given a memory test, called the 2-back test, both before and after a 7 minute chat with a male or female tester. The test involved identifying a stream of letters as quickly as possible. Those who chatted with a male tester showed no decrease in performance on the second test.

However, those study participants who chatted with a female for 7 minutes all showed marked deterioration in performance afterwards. Moreover, the decline was reduced in proportion to how attractive they perceived the female to be. The prettier she was, the worse they did. And it didn’t matter if the participants were single or in a relationship – results were the same.(2)

What About The Chicks?

I’m glad you asked. In a second experiment, female students were tested as well. A more demanding task, known as the Simon task, where a word is identified by color, was given before and after the participant chatted with either a male or female tester.

Once again, men slowed down significantly on the second test after chatting with a female. Especially those who wanted to make a good impression. And here’s the kicker – the females tested just as well the second time, regardless if they had chatted with a man or a woman.(3)

Additional Research

Other studies have pointed to these current results. A publication called The Proceedings of the Royal Society B reported on this experiment in their April 2006 issue: researchers at the University of Leuven, Belgium, gave 176 heterosexual male student volunteers financial games to test their fair play. First, half of the men were shown pictures of attractive women or lingerie while half were shown pictures of landscapes or elderly women.

Then the men were paired up to play a financial game where one would be made an unfair offer. Those who had been exposed to the sexual cues beforehand were much more likely to accept the unfair offer. Dr Siegfried DeWitte, one of the researchers, commented, “We like to think we are all rational beings, but our research suggests…that people…are very vulnerable to sexual cues.”(4)

In September 2009, the same publication reported on a study concluding that just meeting pretty women makes men feel good. Researchers at the University of California tested 149 male students by having them interact with either a male or female for 5 minutes. The participants then rinsed their mouths with mouthwash and provided a saliva sample.

It was found that those who talked with a woman they found attractive had a 14% rise in testosterone levels and a 48% rise in the anti-stress hormone cortisol. In contrast, those who chatted with a man had a 2% drop in testosterone and a 7% drop in cortisol.(5)

So, guys, we all know that pretty women are a joy to behold, but now we know why. The temporary boost in testosterone and cortisol generates feelings of alertness and well-being. Just be careful – you don’t want that Pretty Woman to have the effect of the Devil With The Blue Dress On because your judgment is a bit off. Leave those scenarios to the rock songs!

Do remember to consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet, exercise or supplement regimen.

Source:

Kaufman, SB, “Can opposite sex interactions cause a decline in cognitive performance?”, Psychology Today, May 18, 2009
“Gentlemen, caution: interacting with a lady could impair your cognitive faculties”, Research Digest, The British Psychological Society, Aug 5, 2009
“Gentlemen, caution: interacting with a lady could impair your cognitive faculties”, Research Digest, The British Psychological Society, Aug 5, 2009
“Sex cues ruin men’s decisiveness”, BBC News, April 19, 2006
Alleyne, R, “Meeting pretty women makes men feel good”, Telegraph.co.uk, Sep 30, 2009