Scientific proof that monogamy is natural!
Despite ever-increasing divorce rates and celebrity sex scandals, men don't want to cheat. Findings from a study conducted at Florida State University found guys naturally have less interest in an attractive woman if they're in a relationship.
How do they figure? Two groups of guys, single and in a relationship, rated the attractiveness of a woman in "peak fertility" (okay, she was ovulating and men, scientifically, love that). The group of guys in a relationship found her significantly less attractive than the single men.
"It seems the men were truly trying to ward off any temptation they felt toward the ovulating woman," study co-author Dr. Jon Maner told the New York Times. "They were trying to convince themselves that she was undesirable. I suspect some men really came to believe what they said. Others might still have felt the undercurrent of their forbidden desire, but I bet just voicing their lack of attraction helped them suppress it."
It's heartening news in the field of so-called "relationship maintenance" research. These days, the Times article notes, it's trendier to study how couples stay together rather than how they get together. We know all about fertility and the ways we optimize our attractiveness (good dancing, wearing the color red). But why and how we maintain monogamous relationships is now under the microscope.
Some findings so far: men are more likely to cheat if women are the breadwinners. If a guy isn't "allowed"to look at other women, he's more likely to want to. Also, women should mate with guys who are much less attractive than them if they want to lower the chances of him cheating. But sometimes, that makes him want to cheat more. Sigh. Consider the monogamy buzz officially killed.
Related:
Cheating by the numbers
Is cheating genetic?
Why men are more romantic than women
Why guys cheat on hot women
