Study: Men Likely to Have Unprotected Sex Based on Women's Attractiveness
Men More Likely to Forego Condom Based on Attractiveness, Study Says
A recent study published in the British Medical Journal Open reveals a man is less likely to wear a condom when he finds his female partner attractive.
Condom Use Depends on Self-Perceived Attractiveness
This study, led by Anastasia Eleftheriou, showed a direct correlation between willingness to engage in unprotected sex and judgments of attractiveness. The same study reveals that a man's self-perceived level of attractiveness also affects his decision to engage in unprotected sex. The more attractive he thinks he is, the less likely he'll use condom.
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In this study, 51 straight men aged 18 to 69 years old were shown 20 facial photos of women and were asked to estimate the chances that the shown woman has a sexually transmitted infection (STI). They were also asked if they were eager to engage in sex with the woman. Finally, participants were asked how many men similar to themselves out of 100 are willing to have sex with the shown woman.
The study concludes that the biases revealed in this study are risky and recommends on this issue should be discussed during sexual education sessions.
Willing to Take Chances, If You're Good-Looking Enough
In an email to the Washington Post, Roger Ingham, co-author of the study, suggests the following reasons. First, when a man finds a woman attractive, his evolutionary instinct prompts him to reproduce with her, which means no condoms. Second, men may attach prestige to having sex with an attractive woman, and are willing to take chances to achieve that prestige.
An earlier study showed that women may have the same bias towards men. That is, when a woman finds a man attractive, she is also more willing to have sex with him without any protection. The same study showed women thought attractive men were more likely to have STIs than unattractive men.
A similar study called "The Effects of Target's Physical Attractiveness and Dominance on STD-Risk Perceptions," headed by Pieternel Dijkstra, showed that when a man finds a woman more attractive, he thinks she is more likely to be more promiscuous in the past. Coincidentally, the man thinks having sex with the more attractive woman increases risks of contracting STD.
This and many other studies, show how people make often wrong assumptions regarding attractiveness. The Center for Disease Control approximates that each year, there are 20 million new sexually transmitted disease infections. Close to half of these cases come from people between 15 to 24 years old.
