Study Explains Why Men And Women BOTH Stare At Breasts
It's not just men.
weheartit Why are men so obsessed with boobs? You know how people say that men are ALWAYS objectifying women? Well, they are. However, a new study explains that women do it too.
It seems that ladies see other woman as a collection of body parts nearly as often as a men, per a study published in Science Daily.
Evidently, there are two functions at work when gazing upon an object, whether animal, vegetable or mineral: One part of you sees the whole enchilada, and the other is more focused on the beans, tortilla and whatever else is smothered in that delicious mystery sauce. But when those enchiladas are hombres (dudes) and mujeres (ladies), focus is more gestalt in the former and specific in the latter.
"Duh," right? Men are always staring at boobs, but the truth is that women are just as guilty of this.The study authors showed the test subjects pictures of fully clothed and normal-looking (not a 7.5 among them) people; then two photos, with one "sexual" body part digitally modified in some way. They were told to identify the modified image (i.e., a lady was given rounder breasts in the modified photo).
A woman's sexual body parts were more recognizable when the photo was shown isolating that body part, BUT a man's sexy parts (can you see his "sense of humor" in a picture?) were easier to recognize when showing the whole man.
Scientists were excited because, and I'm paraphrasing, they only thought people objectified good looking women, but this proves that we objectify ALL women.
They were surprised to find that women do just as much objectifying of women as men do.
"It could be related to different motives — men might be doing it because they're interested in potential mates, while women may do it as more of a comparison with themselves. But what we do know is that they're both doing it."
There is hope, however. Scientists, being a vague, secretive lot, say a "manipulation" in the mind can be made for men and women to view women as forests rather than trees.
"Our findings suggest people fundamentally process women and men differently, but we are also showing that a very simple manipulation counteracts this effect, and perceivers can be prompted to see women globally, just as they do men," Gervais said.
Tom Miller is a writer and performer based in New York. He's been a mechanical engineer and a banker. He's been the general manager and coordinating video producer at YourTango for 11 years. He's probably listening to Bryan Adams' "(Everything I Do) I Do It For You" as we speak.