Despite what some fetishists might say, new research shows feet are considered the least sexiest part of the human body.
The study was a joint effort between Bangor University’s School of Psychology in North Wales and the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, with most participants either from the U.K. or South Africa.
Researchers asked participants to rank 41 different body parts in relation to sexual attraction. Roughly 800 people were surveyed for the results.
Feet and kneecaps ranked lowest among both genders, while hands were found to stimulate men more than women.
The highest ranked body part among both genders was the genitals, followed closely by the lips and inner thighs. Shoulder blades and ears also made the cut for both groups.
“We have discovered from this that we all share the same erogenous zones in at least two very different continents, whether we are a white middle-aged, middle-class woman sitting in a London office or a gay man living in a village in Africa,” said study leader Oliver Turnbull.
“Feet and kneecaps ranked
lowest among both genders.”
Turnbull said the results were remarkably consistent between genders, age groups, race and sexual orientation.
“It suggests it is hardwired, built in, not based on cultural or life experience,” he said.
One surprise the study found was men have nearly as many erogenous zones as women.
“A lot of people assume that women’s bodies are just full of erogenous zones and that men only have one, the obvious one,” Turnbull said. “But this is clearly not the case. It’s pretty equal, with just perhaps a modest advantage to women – but certainly nothing like the way the sex differences have been so hugely exaggerated.”
From: sciencedirect.com.
