The economics of sexuality

Economic times are uncertain right now. The GFC is a few years behind us but the question is whether in a few more years will we calling that GFC One as we possible head for GFC Two. You would hope that we have been able to learn something from recent history and can avoid economic meltdown but even a mild downturn has implications. There are serious impacts on jobs, industry, and standards of living but there are also more subtle effects of harsh economic times. One recent study for instance has suggested a less obvious effect in that during tough times sexual behaviours can change.

For the new research men were threatened with the suggestion of their own death, or the prospect of having a dental procedure. After being threatened the men were asked them to look at a computer with sexual and nonsexual images, to see if death makes men more interested in sex. Men “primed” with thoughts of their own death triggered a lever faster when they saw sexual images, compared to those primed with dental pain. The two groups exhibited no difference in response times for nonsexual images.

This is the first study to show a causal link between low survival cues and sexual behaviour in men. It does however fit with other research showing that richer countries tend to show lower birth rates, or that the age of first sex encounters is lower in poorer neighbourhoods.

It comes down to fact that we are biologically wired to reproduce. If you think you might die soon, there is a huge advantage for a man to use short-term mating strategies to try to have as many children as possible as soon as possible. Women of course, are not able to follow the same strategy.

According to the researchers, when your environment is secure and you have enough food and things are going well you are more likely to invest in your existing kids and stay with your current partner or prefer a long-term mating strategy. However, if the environment is dangerous, as in a disintegrating economy, and your chances of survival are lessened, then you will adopt short-term strategies which allow you to reproduce more. For a man that may mean more partners.

It all makes us seem a little primitive brained and you would hope that the old cortex might kick in and counsel against some of the more base instincts. What this research does point to however, is that those instincts are there.

So while tough economic times may mean belt tightening for some, it seems that belts may be being loosened by others.