Why didn’t you know about the roulette system?
[Pause] That’s right. I don’t understand people’s instinctive urge to pick red or black as their favorite number. The choice between them is random and in no way guarantees that either number will win the casino.
A new study, by Oxford and Newcastle universities, is the latest to shed light on the sexual and psychological motivations behind human attraction. Based on a sample of nearly 800 people – around 25% in each of the countries – they found that, for most people, being attracted to someone of the opposite sex is far less pleasant than being sexually aroused.
According to lead author Dr Daniel Gilbert of Newcastle University, “There is no good reason to be attracted to someone who disagrees with you, because this sexual motivation is not only self-protective for the individual, it’s detrimental to relationships between partners. If all of the love goes to someone with whom the partner disagrees we end up with two individuals who don’t get along, and in turn the relationship deteriorates.”
In addition the study shows that for those who are sexually aroused, it may be the desire for sex that outweighs the feelings of attraction for the opposite sex, as long as one partner is interested in a sexual partnership, and not simply the other person’s appearance.
The findings will be published in the Journal of Sex Research.
Dr James Fagan of the University of Manchester who supervised the study said: “Our results show how strong the drive to be attracted to other people is, and that it’s not entirely related to the gender of the people involved. Being sexually aroused is often based on a desire for sexual gratification, and is not a reason for being attracted to other people.”
Previous studies from Britain, the US, Spain and Germany have found that around 80% of couples engaged in sexual activity are attracted to someone in the other sex.
“One of the main reasons is due to the natural tendency to find a partner for our children, who are likely to have different interests from the other siblings or parents,” said Dr Gilbert. “While some adults may try to avoid feelings of attraction towards someone of their own sex, it is also the case for teenagers who may have experienced rape or incest, and who come to see their sexual relationship with a member of the opposite sex as a kind of punishment.”
The new research looked at what would happen in an experimental setup based on a computer game where the players were given a questionnaire which asked about