Wednesday, July 16, 2008

No Shit, Sherlock

I can't believe they had to do a study to come up with this. All you needed to do was ask a woman.

Men's Judgement Affected by Presence of Pretty Women

A couple of things made me snicker:

""One interpretation of these studies is that men are unable to ward off temptation. We do not subscribe to this,"

[...]

Indeed, the researchers found that when men were made to believe the presence of an attractive female was a threat to their relationship, they could successfully use skills they learned to keep themselves from flirting in a social situation."

They've learned? LEARNED?

So really what the guy doing the research is saying is that men can be taught to avoid doing something stupid that will jeopardize their existing relationship.

I can only surmise that this is the "if you touch the stove, you'll burn your hand" style of learning (Mossy could tell you the real scientific name for it), which makes me think of the Simpsons episode where Lisa investigates which one is smarter: her brother or her hamster...and the hamster wins.

I know it depends on the man, but I'm wondering how many relationships the average guy has to fuck up before he learns how to "ward off temptation"?

Some, like Henry VIII, just don't seem to get it at all.

6 comments:

Larry said...

I can't get to the article on my work computer. Damn filters!

Anywho. I have always been a fan of what I call "the window shopping theory".

I'm not the jealous type and don't date women who are. So, I make it abundantly clear that looking is not a problem. I'm going to look, she shouldn't feel bad about doing it herself. I'm not dead. I'm going to flirt. She shouldn't feel bad about flirting, just don't take it any further. When someone flirts with me, it always makes me feel desirable/warm and fuzzy. I assume it makes others feel the same way. My grandpa always says, "give 'em all a thrill." I flirt all day long, with just about every woman I work with.

The Window Shopping Theory goes something like this: Admire whatever item(I often use shoes as an example when explaining this to women, and cars for men) you like, through the window. Just don't go in and try it on/test drive it. Cuz, you probably can't afford it anyway.

That being said, I did have a young woman I work with tell me, "whatever the shoes back home in the closet don't know, won't hurt them."

I guess I am one of the few people left, with a conscience. Flirting isn't the problem. It's the further actions that can result from it. People just need to stop being so greedy, and remember that what they already have is probably what they really want anyway.

Larry said...

Damn, I just realized how long that was. Sorry for being so long winded.

Callie said...

Robin William's quote seems to fit here -

God gave men two brains, with only enough blood to operate one at a time.

Or something like that . . .

lowk said...

So What's the problem. Women luv to be the center of attention. It's a power trip. Thats why the make-up and nice sexy clothes and purfume. To get he men to give up common sense. and pay attention to them.

Callie said...

See baby - there's the problem. Some women pretty themselves up for the wrong man (ie - the taken ones). Or, the taken men see a pretty girl, and think they actually have a chance, and screw up their current relationship.

What the study was saying is that men can learn to stop themselves from doing stupid shit.

Only problem is - how do these men learn to stop doing the stupid shit? And how long does it take them to learn to stop doing the stupid shit?

As long as men's attention is focussed on where it's supposed to be (ie - their significant other), then all is well.

Dtrini said...

I couldn't resist commenting on this one as I get caught up reading your return to blogging.

My tow cents is that the study focuses on the man only which, in my humble opinion, skews the result. Why do men cheat on the most beautiful wives? It certainly isn't to get someone more beautiful. It is usually because the wife is more interested in her beauty than theirs. Neglect from either partner will lead one to more than window shop. For a guy, using the car analogy, if the old car refuses to run like it used to, not matter how much care, attention and money you put into it, there comes a time when you will make the decision to replace the car.

NO, women are not items to be bought and sold necessarily (a whole different topic of discussion/argument), but the foundation is there from the analogy. Men can give a woman 1000% of their time and attention and it still could not be enough to keep her from drifting away. At some point in time, nature works on the "diminishing returns" theory and the man will realize that others find him funny, interesting, sociable and desirable.

Gravity will simply take over from there. :)