Men Exposed to Attractive Women are More Likely to Engage in Risky Behavior

According to new research, men are willing to take big risks, including risking their life, in order to impress women.

A study published in the Journal of Risk Research found men exposed to attractive women were more likely to engage in risky behavior.

Interestingly, women were unlikely to engage in risky behavior, even if they had just been exposed to attractive men.

“Men exposed to attractive women were

more likely to engage in risky behavior.”

The study evaluated men and women in three examples of risk-taking behavior: sex, gambling and reckless driving.

In all three scenarios, men were more likely to engage in risky behavior if a romantic element was presented. However, women showed no desire to engage in risky behavior.

Why are men more likely to take risks in the heat of attraction? Researchers point toward evolution.

“In the evolutionary past, our ancestors were faced with a hazardous environment where they were forced to take great risks in order to find shelter, food and sexual partners,” researchers said. “Thus, individuals who played it safe, in that they did not take any risks at all, were unlikely to survive. From this view, risk-taking behavior is an inherited solution to enhance survival and reproduction.”

Source: Tandfonline.com. Photo source: alaska-in-pictures.com.