Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Bigger wallet, more sex

HIGH earners of both genders boast an increased libido over their poorer colleagues, but only the wealthy men end up having more sex.

As their incomes rise, men and women are more likely to have a higher sex drive, according to a study of almost 30,000 people from 170 countries - the largest survey of its kind.

The findings, from an online survey conducted by the BBC, offer fresh evidence for the theory that women tend to be more attracted to men with money and resources, but that a woman's wealth does not much affect her sex appeal to men.

"Men accumulate resources, which they use to attract women," said John Manning, professor of psychology at the University of Central Lancashire, who analysed the results.

"When it comes to men with little by way of resources, women are just not interested in them at all. As a man's earning power goes up, you would expect him to be having more sex and be with more sexual partners."

Feminine charms were little enhanced by income because men paid more attention to other qualities, such as looks, Professor Manning said.

The increasing frequency with which high-earning men have sex is probably a direct result of their salaries, but the link between income and libido in both genders is more likely to have indirect causes, Professor Manning said.

Sex drive in men and women is thought to be influenced by the male hormone testosterone, which is also associated with assertiveness. High levels of the hormone may make people more competitive and pushy, and thus more likely to earn more, while independently increasing their libido.

The study, which will feature in a new BBC TV series, The Secrets of the Sexes, analysed the responses given by 14,488 men and 14,032 women to an online questionnaire.

Professor Manning's team is submitting the results for publication in the journal Archives of Sexual Behaviour.

Participants were asked to place themselves into one of four income groups and to rate their sex drive and the frequency with which they had sex, on a scale of one to seven. Men had a higher self-rated libido than women in all income groups, but in both sexes their scores increased markedly with rising salaries.

Male frequency of sex also rose significantly with income: men earning more than £50,000 ($117,000) scored 3.64 compared with 2.69 for men earning less than pound £10,000.

Among women, income made little difference. Those earning less than £10,000 had sex somewhat less frequently, but scores for women in the other three categories were very similar.

The research has limitations because it relies on people's ratings of their own behaviour and participants were not randomly selected, but its findings are in tune with those of smaller but more rigorous studies.

An analysis of 10,000 men and women from 37 different cultures by David Buss, of the University of Texas, found a pattern to male and female preferences. Women were much more likely to favour mates with high income and social status, but these mattered little to men.

A study of lonely hearts advertisements has shown that men tend to emphasise their income and professional status, but women are more likely to claim good looks or slim figures.

Read the complete article at News.com.au

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home