A new sexy-time study from the University of Sussex suggests that women’s taste in music changes with their ovulation cycles — and women who are at their most fertile claim to be way into men who make more complex music. What fresh news is this! Well, get ready for some more revelations where that came from: The study also says that women are most interested in complex (perhaps broody?) musicians for short-term relationships.
This study (published today by the Royal Society) analyzed 1,500 female participants with an average age of 28, who weren’t pregnant, breast-feeding, or using hormonal birth control; they listened to clips of music and then discussed what sorts of hypothetical relationships they’d hypothetically like to have with the music’s composers.
The study’s author, Dr. Benjamin Charlton, gave a shout-out to Darwin, who called music the food of love. Oh, was that another deceased fellow? Anyway, whatever, Darwin theorized that music’s function in society was for sexual courtship. And anyway again, people have known about this musician-attraction factor for some time. Nonetheless, how heartening to have the musician-crush phase confirmed by important scientific investigations.
