The study suggests that men who have no intention of having casual sex nevertheless become more willing to do so after exposure to images of pretty women in bikinis. This willingness without intention may explain a lack of foresight that leads to sex without protection, the study researchers write today (June 19) in the British Journal of Health Psychology.
"Think of this as similar to young teenagers drinking," study researcher Megan Roberts, a psychologist at Brown University, said in a statement. "Most don't go out explicitly intending to get drunk, but are willing if they are offered alcohol at a party. Likewise, many adults do not intend to have casual sex, but would be willing to do so if presented with the opportunity." [50 Sultry Facts About Sex]
Studies dating back to the 1980s have found that people with conservative attitudes toward sex have less intercourse than the sexually liberal, as might be expected. But when the sexually conservative do get busy, they're more likely to take risks, such as not using protection against pregnancy or sexually transmitted infections.
A sexual mystery
This puzzle confused health researchers. To get the bottom of why people behave so strangely, Roberts and her colleagues first asked 75 college-age men if they intended to have casual sex with a stranger or acquaintance in the next six months. Twenty-eight of them (37 percent) said no.
The researchers then had the men do a word-identification task, into which the researchers had inserted subliminal images of either pretty bikini-clad women or neutral photographs, such as those showing lightening bolts. The images flashed onscreen for only 8 milliseconds, too few to register consciously.
After the subliminal image presentation, the men completed another questionnaire, this one including a vignette about going home with a woman from a party. The guys were asked how likely they were to engage in a variety of sexual acts with this near-stranger.