Health

Pretty Women Make Men Feel Better

by Annina Bergman | September 30, 2009 at 10:51 am

524 views | 25 Recommendations | 10 comments

Just a five minute talk with a pretty woman raises a man's testosterone levels by 14 percent, making him feel better and more alert.

A new study shows that chatting with women raises the levels of the hormones testosterone and cortisol in a man's body, making him feel better both physically and mentally. Researchers at the University of California studied 149 male students between 18 and 24, half of whom were asked to talk to a male researcher, the other half to female students.

The men who talked to the students were found to have 14% higher testosterone levels and 48% higher cortisol levels than the control group. The men who talked to the researcher suffered a 2% drop of their testosterone and 7% of their cortisol. Cortisol reduces stress and raises blood pressure and blood sugar levels.

The findings suggest that men could be better off having a chat with their female friends than going down the pub with their mates.

“It all boils down to sex,” she said. “High levels of testosterone are associated with boosting sexual performance whereas cortisol helps focus your energy and helps you deal with anxiety.”

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Beaulieu

at 11:07 on September 30th, 2009

And attractive men make women feel better:-0

Annina Bergman

at 11:09 on September 30th, 2009

I believe it's true, but the researchers ignored that!

albertacowpoke

at 11:16 on September 30th, 2009

Note age of the studied group 18-24, isn't that when hormones are flying high? I would venture to guess that older men, say 40+ , would appreciate attractive women too, but intelligence would be another factor.

rng

at 13:00 on September 30th, 2009

Many older men..allegedly..would like to be chatted to by pretty 18-24 women too..I would hazard a wild guess

jefhow22

at 13:29 on September 30th, 2009

I agree..I am of the 55+ age group and intelligence now outweighs any testosterone levels that I may be trying to hang onto. Attractive women can be a bit intimidating to speak to only because the eye contact melts me which raises my heart beat and lowers my reality.

Roy C

at 13:35 on September 30th, 2009

Good-looking men do the same thing for women. I remember watching my mother react to "Ben Casey" and "Dr. Kildare". Certainly changed her mood.

a211423

at 13:37 on September 30th, 2009

I believe the same is true for a woman with the scales tipping toward intelligent conversation when one is over 40.

Barry Artiste

at 14:12 on September 30th, 2009

I guess the initial attraction gets one going, but soon will be replaced by substance, if the woman or man cannot carry a conversation,well then, it pretty much boils down to Nice Rack, or Nice Package. It is interesting watching Beauty and the Geeks TV, sort of puts things into perspective.

Parmeisan (not verified)

at 14:56 on September 30th, 2009

"The findings suggest that men could be better off having a chat with their female friends than going down the pub with their mates." -- They suggest nothing of the sort!! The findings suggest that they would be better off having a chat with a female than going down to the pub with a stuffy male researcher they don't know. I imagine that the level of stress being experienced goes down with familiarity. And alcohol, of course. Go ahead; show me a study where a guy is less stressed out hanging out with a girl he's trying to impress than drinking with his buddies. Maybe it's true, but I would need to see that study first.