He Said/She Said: Dudes and Random Hook Ups

Theo says:
Mon, 24th Nov 20086:24 am 

Fun convo. On topic, studies show guys have a strong reaction to the apparent interest of girls, (i.e. find her more attractive if he thinks she finds him attractive –> as chances of getting laid increase, willingness/enthusiasm increases, mostly disregarding man’s initial impression of attractiveness of woman).

As for why you don’t always see the effects of this responsive appetite — the brain involves many layers of motivation which often inhibit each other. The pre-frontal lobe is responsible for the sort of self-censorship and greater awareness of causal relationships (social cost of behavior, etc.) that would inhibit this sexual response from the male’s limbic system to the perceived interest of a potential mate. BUT, the pre-frontal cortex is:

a) not fully developed in men until ~26 y.o. (slightly younger but similar in women);

b) shut off by alcohol; and

c) thought to experience neural pruning associated with andropause, potentially describing the neurobiological basis for a “mid-life crisis”

So basically, a lot of guys will become interested in fucking anything that shows the slightest interest in having them. Even if they think the girl’s ugly. One of the few reasons why they wouldn’t is if they think it’d hurt their chances with a specific more attractive mate and they’re sober enough that their pf cortex is still in play.