Committed Men Not Swayed by Woman's Fertility

Previous studies have proven that women are deemed sexier at their peak stage of fertility—lap dancers get better tips; men rate a woman's body odor as more attractive and respond to it with higher levels of testosterone. But a new study conducted at Florida State University rating a woman's attractiveness revealed that only single men considered a fertile female participant to be "hot," while committed fellas rated her as less attractive, presumably because on some level they sensed she could threaten their long-term relationships. To avoid being enticed to stray, they apparently convinced themselves she wasn't attractive. This experiment was part of a new trend in evolutionary psychology to study "relationship maintenance." A psychologist at Florida State, Dr. Jon Maner said, "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 a forbidden desire, but even voicing their lack of attraction may have helped them suppress it.