Research
Research
The REAL Stuff White People Like

Stuff White Men Like, according to 526K OKCupid profiles StuffWhitePeopleLike (TED Conference? World Cup? Picking their own fruit? Genius!) is one of our favorite blogs in the universe — seriously, it ranks right up there with FAILblog, even if it’s a bit of a one-note joke (but every time we leave it be for a […]

Research
One-Night Stands Can So Lead to Beautiful Relationships

photo by e.esders Before we started writing about sex, we had no idea that so many scientists and researchers spent time so much time studying our sexual proclivities. These days we have trouble thinking of anything sexual that hasn’t been qualified and quantified and written up in a science journal. Take the age-old issue of […]

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Researchers Argue Over Whether Cougar Dating Exists

When we read that a researcher at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff had released a study claiming that the cougar dating trend is a myth and a media construct, we were ready to buy his argument. After all, we’ve witnessed first-hand — and have occasionally, shame on us, been responsible for — how […]

Research
The Power of Teenage Love

photo by Pink Sherbet Photography A study by Bill McCarthy of the University of California and Eric Grodsky of the University of Minnesota found that teens in romantic sexual relationships have similar school experiences to virgins. Meanwhile, students who engage in NON-romantic sexual activity (hook-ups, friends with benefits, etc) were found to be more likely […]

Research
Ask Men Survey Gives Us Hope, Defies Beer Ad Stereotypes

image via Chuck “Caveman” Coker When we read that AskMen.com had surveyed tens of thousands of guys about everything from sex to suits, we were a little nervous. Would the results indicate that men — at least, the ones who read AskMen.com — are exactly like the beer commercials say they are? We are pleased […]

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Ancient Dildo Dug Up

photo by Peter Zetterlund, Swedish National Heritage Board We’ve come a long way, baby. Check out this penis-shaped….shall we call it a “tool”? It was just unearthed in Sweden during an archeological excavation by the country’s National Heritage Board. Carved out of antler-bone and probably dating back to sometime between 4000 t0 6000 B.C., the […]

Research
When We Lie Online, At Least We Do It Consistently

It’s not exactly breaking news that people lie like rugs in their online dating profiles. “Recent” photos are a couple years (at least) out of date; the weight someone lists is kind of like that pair of jeans they keep around, hoping they’ll fit again; and the height listed would probably be accurate if the […]

Research
10 Ways Giving Up On Perfection May Save Your (Sex) Life

photo by country_boy_shane Recent studies show that the personality trait of perfectionism is linked to poor physical health and an increased risk of death — in particular when it’s what psychologists call “socially prescribed perfectionism,” i.e. where you feel like other people expect you to be perfect (as opposed to “self-oriented perfectionism,” when you impose […]

Research
Dubious Sex Studies of the Week

image by Caveman_92223 Okay, we know we’ve been guilty in the past of drumming up sex research into juicy, slightly misleading headlines. But we’re trying to be better people, we promise! (In our defense, who can possibly resist reporting on a study claiming that wearing socks leads to better sex?) In the meantime, here are […]

Research
New Study Says Fetuses Don't Feel Pain Before 24 Weeks

photo by chadcrowell A report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which was commissioned by the UK’s Department of Health, has found that fetuses don’t feel pain before 24 weeks (and probably not after for some time) for two reasons: 1) the brain is not formed enough to perceive pain, and 2) the […]

Research
Kids of Lesbian Parents May Fare Better Than Their Peers

photo by daspaz A new study analyzing long-term data on kids from birth to adulthood just came out that suggests children of lesbian parents do better than their peers. According to Time: The authors found that children raised by lesbian mothers – whether the mother was partnered or single – scored very similarly to children […]

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Will Teary-Eyed, Face-Holding, Baby-Making Sex Become Obsolete?

photo by Blyzz According to a new report in the journal Reproductive BioMedicine (what, you’re not a subscriber?), IVF conception could become routine for thirty-somethings within a decade. Buh-bye, baby-making sex, hello doctor! The report claims that IVF technology is advancing so quickly that soon it will be possible to produce embryos with almost a […]

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How Science Can Improve Your Marriage

photo by Victoria Peckham Since the 19th century, scientists have been proving that marriage is good for your health. But as recent research has shown, it’s not as simple as tying the knot to ward off the Grim Reaper. It turns out that “it is the relationship, not the institution, that is key,” as marriage […]

Research
A Victorian, Pre-Kinsey Sex Survey

photo of Clelia Mosher from the Stanford University Archives The March/April edition of Stanford Magazine has a fascinating article on Dr. Clelia Mosher, a Victorian-Era scientist, researcher and Stanford professor who conducted the first known sex surveys of women, decades before Kinsey (who’s considered the pioneer of sex research). Even though the sample size is […]

News
Herpes – the Good News, the Bad News, and the Really Bad News

photo by Nathan Csonka A new study out from the CDC shows that herpes is twice as common in women than men, and three times as common in blacks than whites. A massive 48% of new herpes cases are among black women. We called on Dr. Vanessa Cullins, an obstetrician/gynecologist and vice president for medical […]

Research
Naked News: Gender-Bending Chickens and Homophobic Hicks

photo from The Roslin Institute In sci-fi news, NPR has a fascinating article on gender-bending chickens. In holy contraception news, a high school in Rome installs a condom vending machine and the Catholic Church freaks. In major buzz-kill news, an ass-backward school district in Mississippi cancels the entire prom to prevent a few same-sex couples […]