Men who feel stressed about their finances and job security during the downturn are more likely to cheat, according to a new US study.
Researchers from the University of Kansas found that men who feel most threatened by the recession go into ‘survival mode’, which causes their sex-drive to soar as their primal instinct kicks in. In other words, global recession sends signals out to the brain that we have lower chances of survival, prompting a turbocharged sex-drive in men.

21^st Century Cave Man

It’s like 21^st century man “living on the savannah and discovering you don’t have enough fruit and the animals are scarce,” says study leader, social psychology Professor Omri Gillath.

Faced with threat, men pursue “short term mating strategies to make sure there are a bunch of offspring and hope that some of them survive.”

The study asked group of men who were asked to think about their own death – and then watch porn.

It discovered that those who thought about death and prolonged pain, felt more sexual desire than when they didn’t have morbid thoughts on their mind.

Rich – Poor Behaviour Explained

The research establishes a link to why richer countries tend to show lower birthrates, or that the age of first sex encounters is lower in poorer neighborhoods.

Says Gillath: “When the environment is secure and you have enough food and things are working the way you would like them to, people are more likely to invest in their existing kids and stay with their current partner or prefer long-term mating strategies,

“But if the environment is dangerous and your chances of survival are low — if there is a famine or more enemies— then people will adopt short-term strategies which allow them to reproduce more.

“The economy today is giving us signs that we have lower chances of survival,” said the KU researcher.

“In such times, guys might be more inclined to spread their genes and hence be highly prepared for sex.”

The results will be published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology in November.

Sources:

http://www.news.ku.edu/2011/october/17/gillath.shtml

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2011/10/14/unfaithful-husband-blame-the-recession-says-

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About the author

Jenny W