MEN looking to increase their chances of success in the bedroom should act like they’re not interested in sex, according to a new study.
Researchers found that blokes who try too hard are a turn off, while men who play it cool with someone they’re attracted to were more likely to have sex.
By contrast, women tend to act more interested than they really are, according to psychologists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.
Professor Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair said: “We think this may be to keep the man’s attention a little longer.”
This, in turn, might give her more time to assess whether she really finds the man attractive.
But Prof Kennair said the same isn’t true for men, who might be perceived as desperate when they signal attraction.
He explained: “Men who are overly eager do not come across as attractive.”
The results suggest that flirting is a tactical game where signals are constantly being interpreted between potential sexual partners.
“The most in-demand people are not the most available — they are a rare commodity in the mating game,” says Professor Martie Haselton.
And the study contradicts stereotypes that men are cocky while women are usually more coy.
Instead, both men and women tend to act more reserved when they know they are attracted to someone.
The study also found that women are usually the ones to set the boundaries of casual encounters because they’re less likely to be initially interested in having sex.
Speaking about the findings from 224 men and women, Professor Martie Haselton from the University of California, Los Angeles said: “In economic terms it’s about supply and demand.
“The most in-demand people are not the most available — they are a rare commodity in the mating game.”
Interestingly, the biggest predictor of whether men in the study ended up having casual sex was the number of sexual partners they’d previously had.
Not surprisingly, women usually choose the man they find most sexually attractive once they’ve decided to have casual sex.
But other studies have shown that long-term relationships tend to work slightly differently as the most attractive men are usually taken or only interested in short-term relationships.
Professor Kennair added: “A lot of women have had sex with more attractive partners than the men they end up with in long-term relationships.”
Source: The Sun
