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Thursday 21 August

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Lust is blind say scientists

Unmarried couples to get equal rights Rex Features

They say love is blind, but it would seem the same could be said about lust as new research proves even plain Janes get men's pulses racing.

A study of male students found that their testosterone levels rose to the same levels whether they were talking to a woman they were attracted to or one they didn't fancy at all.

When left alone for 300 seconds with a woman they had never met before, and didn't necessarily find attractive, the men's testosterone shot up by about 8%.

Researchers believe the sudden rise is an automatic and unconscious reaction that has evolved in man when in a woman's company, to get ready for potential mating opportunities.

The rise in hormones then manifests itself in physical ways, with a squaring of the shoulders, an upright posture, more hand gestures and perhaps even a flaring of the nostrils.

Researchers have concluded that one of the main functions of testosterone is to attract a mate.

Lead researcher, Leander van der Meij commented on the study saying: 'Once levels have risen, they can display more dominant behaviour. Men talk more with their hands, there is more eye contact, their posture is more upright, and they are more likely to tell stories designed to impress the woman.

'We known that women can be attracted by these kinds of things. All this, we believe, may be fuelled by the rise in testosterone that we have found.'

Monday 21 July 2008


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