According to a recent scientific survey, men are much likelier to forgo condoms when they are sleeping with a beautiful woman, than if they think their fling is with a less-attractive partner. Researchers at the University of Bristol and University of Southampton asked heterosexual men to document their desire to have condom-free sex with 20 women. The participants were showed photographs of women's faces and the scientists discovered that the men were much less inclined to wear a condom if they thought their hypothetical sexual partner had an appealing face.
While the study was conducted on a small scale, it does add to the growing evidence that men and women are willing to bend a few safe-sex rules if their partners are good looking.
"Men are more willing to have condomless sex with attractive women," wrote lead author and University of Southampton public health researcher Anastasia Eleftheriou in an email. They are prepared to do so "even though they might believe that those women are more likely" to have a sexually transmitted disease, she said.
Through this study, two surprising incongruities came to surface. Some women who rated women at high risk of STIs, also considered themselves likely to have unprotected sex. Simply put, it means that even though the thought of having sex with a woman was considered risky, they still would not go the extra mile to protect themselves.
To explain this irregularity, Eleftheriou's co-author Roger Ingham, a sexual health expert at the University of Southampton, gave two potential reasons. He explains in an email to Washington Post, "men want to reproduce with women they find to be more attractive," he said. Or it could be that young men attach high status to having sex with attractive women, "and so are willing to take more risk to acquire this status." Or, perhaps, it is a mixture of both motivations.
When asked if men are likely to use condoms with women whom they find less attractive, Eleftheriou replied, "Yes. We found a strong correlation between the two variables that works both ways."
