Beautiful Women Cause an Increase Of Stress Hormone in Men
5 May
A recent study by the University of Valencia has discovered that men experience stress when meeting a beautiful women, particularly one who is ‘out of their league’. An encounter with an attractive woman can raise a mans Cortisol levels (cortisol is commonly referred to as a stress hormone). High Cortisol levels can increase the negative effects of medical conditions such as heart disease and diabetes although it can also have a positive effect in small doses.
The researchers asked 84 (presumably straight) male students to solve a Sudoku puzzle in a room with two strangers, a man and an attractive woman. They monitored the student’s stress levels which did not alter when the woman left the room. When the man departed leaving the students on their own with the woman their stress levels rose.
The researchers came to the conclusion that the possibility of courtship had the male participants hot under the collar:
“In this study we considered that for most men the presence of an attractive woman may induce the perception that there is an opportunity for courtship. While some men might avoid attractive women since they think they are ‘out of their league’, the majority would respond with apprehension and a concurrent hormonal response. This study showed that male cortisol levels increased after exposure to a five-minute short social contact with a young, attractive woman.”
It would be interesting to see if the level of stress hormones released was effected by other variables. Would men who were happily married for instance, be less likely to feel stressed due to the reduced chance of courtship? Would what the woman was wearing effect stress levels, for instance what effect would sexy lingerie have? Would the presence of the male volunteer’s girlfriend make the situation more or less stressful?
Beautiful women: Bad for your health?
