So that hot bed of sex research North Bay, Ontario (smile) came out with a great new study this month talking about how kind people get more sex. It’s long been proven that lovers who put their partners first get way, way more sex than those who take care of their own needs first. But now the research out of Nippising University shows that donating blood, giving generously to charity, helping little old ladies cross the street, and being an all round nice person makes you more sexually attractive.
Dr.Steven Arnocky, one of the studies authors said:
“We’ve provided the first empirical evidence that altruism may tangibly benefit mating in humans living in Western industrialized society. It appears that altruism evolved in our species, in part, because it serves as a signal of other underlying desirable qualities, which helps individuals reproduce.”
Previous studies showed that if you add altruism to a man, women find him more attractive. Dr. Arnocky’s study shows how this can translate into the very tangible benefits of more sex. Women especially find men that give back really sexy.
The findings support previous research that focused on food sharing by hunters among non-kin as a form of altruism, which show that men who hunt – and share – meat enjoy greater reproductive success. As well, research has previously shown that individuals report preferring altruistic mates, all else being equal.
The study also found that altruism seems to work more effectively for men in terms of attracting a partner. Altruism, it seems, is a powerful attractant for females, which is obviously good news for nice guys as well as local charities.
One question that remains is:
Are people more altruistic because they are having sex? Or, are they having more sex because they are altruistic?
I think that the adage that kindness and manners matter and that mean people are profoundly unattractive crops up in all aspects of relationships. This study is a good reminder that it is not what you look like but who you are that attracts a partner of quality.
Read about New Research in Sex
