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Naked news: why normal looking porn stars are a threat

Em and Lo — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 18:00:01 +0000

Why porn that women actually like (i.e. with normal looking guys like James Dean, above) makes men so uncomfortable.
Does success as an artist bring you more sexual conquests? Yes and no, say researchers.

How different are girls’ and boys’ brains?

Em and Lo — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 18:00:54 +0000

It's a favorite question of ours...okay, of mine (i.e. Lo's), and my personal answer is that yes, there are differences, but not as many or as great as our culture presumes. The bias we have as a society actually influences the development of boys' and girls' brains (which are elastic) so significantly as they grow that by the time they're adults there's much more difference than there would be if we lived in a more egalitarian, less Men-Are-From-Mars world. In other words, it's a self-fullfilling prophecy. So while there are differences, we would do better to celebrate our similarities, or at least our potential for overlapping skills and desires and tendencies, so that both sexes don't feel limited by narrow gender roles...

Why is sex fun?

Em and Lo — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 17:00:41 +0000

The Discovery Channel is in the middle of airing a series called Curiosity. Current and upcoming episodes include "What Sank the Titanic" and "Is There a Parallel Universe?" Not sure how we missed the last one, "Why Is Sex Fun?" hosted by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

Naked news: Jim Carrey confesses his love to Emma Stone

Em and Lo — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 17:12:36 +0000

Kind of funny but mostly creepy: Jim Carrey confesses his love to Emma Stone via online video.
Speaking of weird celebrity confessions of love, Sinead O'Connor is apparently into anal and on the prowl. (Is this just some weird performance art project of hers? One hopes.)

Masturbation study provides material for the lovers AND the haters

Em and Lo — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:00:28 +0000

A recent study published in the journal Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine looked at the masturbation habits of American teenagers (age 14 - 17), and the results are likely to please both the self-lovers and those who think that adolescent boys and girls should be forced to sleep in mittens to keep themselves pure.

Survey shows Philly residents do it the least and enjoy it the most

Em and Lo — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:00:09 +0000

We're often asked what's "normal" when it comes to sex frequency, and we always decline to answer -- we hate to use the word "normal" when it comes to sex, period. That's something that you've got to figure out on your own time, and we refuse to judge you (unless you like to do it while listening to Mariah Carey). But if you'd like to know what the average American is doing -- at least, according to Trojan, and we admit that it might be in their interest to exaggerate our sexual activity to get us keeping up with the Joneses -- then a new survey will enlighten you. It's the Trojan 2010 U.S. Sex Census.

Top 10 reasons why Wednesdays are the best night to get laid

Em and Lo — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 17:00:07 +0000

In a recent article for the New York Times, statistician Nate Silver hooked up with OkCupid's Nate Rudder to determine which day of the week is best to meet someone at a bar. They came up with something called the "sexual availability index," and found that you're most likely to get laid on a Wednesday night. So here are our best guess at why Wednesday's the winner...

Like surveys? Take this one about porn

Em and Lo — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:00:39 +0000

Whether you're not really into porn and only enjoy the occasional romance novel sex scene or you're an addict whose love of Barely Legal Asian Sluts is jeopardizing your career and family life, there are three researchers from across the pond who'd love to hear from you. Clarissa Smith, Feona Attwood and Martin Barker have put together an online pornography survey that they say is "unlike almost all the previous research that has been conducted on pornography.":

In the past, pornography has overwhelmingly been assumed to be a ‘problem’, and the only really important questions to ask about it are – how much do people (and especially children) encounter it, and how great is the ‘harm’ that it does? This research is different. Our project is concerned with the everyday uses of pornography, and how the people who use it feel it fits into their lives. Pornography is of course a highly topical issue, subject to many opposing views and ‘strong opinions’. And we are not saying that there are no moral or political issues. But we are saying that the voices of users and enjoyers have been swamped. In fact, there is very little research that engages with the users of pornography, asking how, when and why they turn to it.

Naked News: Men used to have prickly peens

Em and Lo — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 17:34:46 +0000

In French tickler news: Our male ancestors had penile spines.
Among gay men, penis size correlates with bedroom roles (the bigger, the bossier, i.e. tops).

Women have casual sex for — get this! — pleasure

Em and Lo — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:00:51 +0000

It may not be news to any of you ladies out there who’ve enjoyed the thrill of a no-strings-attached hook-up, but for those who buy into the evo-psych pop notion that women are only interested in high-status resource providers rather than hotties (i.e. the opposite of men’s supposed eternal motivations) there’s a study published in [...]

Research shows a woman’s tears kill a man’s libido

Em and Lo — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 18:00:28 +0000

Scientists have long pondered the mystery of why humans, unlike other species, cry emotional tears. A new study provides a few answers -- as well as raising a whole bunch of new questions. Basically, researchers found that men who sniffed drops of women's emotional tears became less sexually aroused than when they sniffed a saline solution that had been dribbled down women’s cheeks. The sexual arousal was measured in a number of ways, including testosterone levels, skin responses, brain imaging and also self-reporting (i.e. this study wasn't just a bunch of guys claiming that "teary chicks are a boner killer").

Totally unbiased study: Saving sex for marriage will improve your relationship

Em and Lo — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 18:00:29 +0000

A new study shows that delaying sex until marriage will lead to a more satisfying and stable relationship, according to researchers at -- get this -- Brigham Young University. That's the right, the university whose honor code bans porn, gay sex, sex outside of marriage, cussing, sleeveless shirts, alcohol, cigarettes, coffee, and tea (tea!) claims to have science on its side. Apparently couples who had sex the earliest -- after the first date, say, or even in the first month of dating -- had the worst relationship outcomes.

The best sex and love news of 2010

Em and Lo — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 18:00:49 +0000

Yesterday we told you about the sex and love news from 2010 that most pissed us off and/or depressed us -- dubious studies, dubious reporting, and rampant STDs, et al. Today we hope to put a smile back on your face with some of the love and sex news that most inspired us. You're welcome.

A kink study finds that the majority of men are open to fetishes once you get them behind closed doors. Just don't expect them to dish about it over Monday Night Football.
College gals finally close the marriage gap -- new research shows that white women with college degrees are just as likely to marry as those who didn’t graduate from college.
Okay, so yesterday we told you that the web is "luring" more women into porn addiction -- but there's a silver lining. We finally have proof that women are visual creatures too!

The worst sex and love news of 2010

Em and Lo — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 18:00:45 +0000

Every week, all year long, we tell you all about what's going on in the world of sex and love. Well, not quite all -- you might notice that we steer clear of stories about sex crimes (because that's not the kind of sex this site is about) and stories about teachers sleeping with their students (because we're not Fox). But everything else, you'll find here. Not everything we report on pleases us -- in fact, some of it straight-up pisses us off. Here are the headlines and studies that depressed us most in the past year. Tune in tomorrow for the news that put a smile back on our faces.

Economically dependent men are more likely to cheat on their female partners. We remain unconvinced that this is actual proven fact rather than just dubious study, but either way: boo!
That "six-feet-tall" hottie you're corresponding with online? Yeah, he's totally lying.

The flaws in the science of sex differences

Em and Lo — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 17:00:04 +0000

One of our biggest pet peeves is our society's automatic acceptance -- the giddy embrace, even -- of the theory that men are from Mars and women are from Venus, with nary a space shuttle between them. We've written before on the lazy scientists who are suckers for a sexy headline about the "innate" differences between men and women, while touting the seemingly lone, reasonable voice of neuroscientist Lise Eliot in her book "Pink Brain, Blue Brain: How Small Differences Grow into Troublesome Gaps — and What We Can Do About It." Fortunately, there are now a few other voices of reason voice that have jumped into the fray as of late: First, Barnard professor Rebecca Jordan-Young in her new book "Brain Storm: The Flaws in the Science of Sex Differences"; and then "Delusions of Gender: How Our Minds, Society and Neurosexism Create Difference" by academic psychologist Cordelia Fine. Slate has a great review of "Brain Storm" here, and below is Publisher's Weekly succinct starred review of it:

The world’s gender inequality

Em and Lo — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:00:44 +0000

The World Economic Forum recently came out with their 5th annual Global Gender Gap Report for 2010, which, according to Time magazine (Oct 25th issues), ranks 134 countries on "a percentage-based metric that calculates how much they have closed their gender gaps in education, politics, health and economic opportunity."

No, he’s not trying to turn you gay

Em and Lo — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 17:00:42 +0000

We are completely hooked on the dating research blog OKTrends because of how often it reminds us that the world is, in fact, a sane place -- no matter how many of our politicians think that gay people shouldn't be allowed to teach in schools or die for their country or get married or raise kids. The latest installment of research -- based on OKCupid's 3.2 million gay and straight users -- is another perfect example, debunking some of the most common (and hostile) gay myths out there. For example, take the myth that "the gays" are on a mission to "convert" your precious little Johnny:

Finding the silver lining in porn addiction story

Em and Lo — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:00:49 +0000

So the lurid headline in -- natch -- The Washington Times reads "More women lured to pornography addiction," but we decided to find the silver lining in this news. The gist of the piece is that new research shows that women, and even -- gasp! -- Christian women are finding themselves "addicted" to pornography because it's so much less risky to check it out online. (And for the record, our quote-marks around the word "addicted" aren't meant to question the reality of pornography addiction, but rather to question The Washington Times' definition of said addiction.)

Anal, orgasms, and advertising

Em and Lo — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:00:01 +0000

One of the most popular and commented-on posts of our home site, EMandLO.com, is about strap-on sex. It's not exactly a point of pride for us. We're much more about the happy feel-good feminist relationship posts. And we worry that this prominent butt-sex mention is what keeps the advertisers away (of course, it could be the vibrators we peddle in our sidebar). But then we see Bank of America and Bing ads right along side Slate's article "Riddle of the Sphincter," about the correlation between anal sex and orgasms for women, and we can't help but think "No fair!"

College gals finally close the marriage gap

Em and Lo — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:00:31 +0000

As recently as the ’90s, Em was horrified to hear her college roommate say that she was at school to get three letters: MRS. It was said kind of tongue-in-cheek… but not completely. The ironic thing was that back then, having a college degree actually meant that a woman was less likely to get married…and [...]

How to study sex without being a sucker

Em and Lo — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 17:00:05 +0000

As regular readers of this blog will know, one of our pet peeves is when scientific research about sex and love gets twisted and "re-interpreted" and boiled down and sexed up to make a juicy magazine or newspaper headline. (And yes, we have definitely been guilty of this tendency ourselves, at times. You try resisting when a guy in a lab coat studies sex in socks!) Which is why we love the newish column in the NY Times Style section by Pamela Paul, called "Studied." Each week Paul takes a new study that is making the rounds -- this week it was research showing that economically dependent men are more likely to cheat on their female partners -- and attempts to unpack it. And -- get this -- Paul doesn't necessarily take the each study's findings at face value. Isn't that what they used to call "journalism"?

The REAL stuff white people like

Em and Lo — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 17:00:07 +0000

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 few months, we go back and are reminded of its utter brilliance). Anyway, the dating site OKCupid, on its surprisingly fascinating OKTrends blog, decided to throw caution (not to mention fears of pandering to racist stereotypes) to the wind and examine the real stuff white people like... as well as the stuff that Asians, blacks, and Latinos like. They did this simply by parsing the data on all the personal ads in their system. The concept is both clever as well as a little bit stomach-turning.

One-night stands can so lead to beautiful relationships

Em and Lo — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:00:40 +0000

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.

The power of teenage love

Em and Lo — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:00:05 +0000

We both went to high school in New Jersey (just a few towns away from each other, it turns out). During those late 80s days, Lo fell in love and had sex within a loving, committed, romantic relationship. Meanwhile, Em remained a virgin and sometimes ate her lunch in the bathroom. We both ended up excelling in high school, engaging in many extra-curricular activities, and going to well-respected universities.

Ask Men survey gives us hope, defies beer ad stereotypes…mostly

Em and Lo — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 20:00:40 +0000

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 -- exactly like the beer commercials say they are? We are pleased to report that our worst fears were not realized. Well, most of them. 46% of men said they'd dump a girlfriend if she got fat. But we're going to look on the bright side and focus on the 54% of men who wouldn't. Some other stats from the sex and dating portion of the survey:

When we lie online, at least we do it consistently

Em and Lo — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 17:00:33 +0000

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 person was standing on a box, like Tom Cruise in his wedding photos.

10 ways giving up on perfection may save your (sex) life

Em and Lo — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 17:00:28 +0000

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 the high standards on yourself -- apparently not quite such a health risk). Then again, is it possible to completely separate what you think others expect of you and what you expect of yourself? Where does one end and the other begin?

Dubious sex studies of the week

Em and Lo — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 20:00:21 +0000

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 some recent "scientific" headlines that gave us pause...

The headline: "Women Freeze Eggs to Wait for 'Mr Right.'" The reality: This story is based on a study of fifteen women. Can you even call that a "study"? Sounds more like a girls' night out gossip session to us.
The headline: "Shopping Is Bad for Men's Fertility." The reality: Trace amounts of BPA have been found in cash register receipts -- and BPA is known to suppress male hormones in the body. Okay, yes, BPA is bad. But it's bad for all of us -- men, women, and especially children and babies. But "Licking Cash Register Receipts Bad for Babies" isn't nearly as catching.

New study says fetuses don’t feel pain before 24 weeks

Em and Lo — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 20:00:17 +0000

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 fetus is unconscious.

Kids of lesbian parents may fare better than their peers

Em and Lo — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 20:00:58 +0000

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.

How to use science to improve your marriage

Em and Lo — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 17:00:26 +0000

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 historian Stephanie Coontz tells the New York Times. Good marriages are good for your health; bad marriages, not so much. And even within happy, loving marriages, the way that you handle conflict can impact your health. In other words, you may be head over heels in love, but if you fight dirty, then you're a cigarette habit to your partner's heart. (Literally: One recent study showed that a stressful marriage can be as bad for the heart as a regular smoking habit.) Some other interesting tidbits from the NYT magazine article that nicely summarized the recent research in this field:

"Despite years of research suggesting that single people have poorer health than those who marry, a major study released last year concluded that single people who have never married have better health than those who married and then divorced."
"Married people are less likely to get pneumonia, have surgery, develop cancer or have heart attacks. A group of Swedish researchers has found that being married or cohabiting at midlife is associated with a lower risk for dementia. A study of two dozen causes of death in the Netherlands found that in virtually every category, ranging from violent deaths like homicide and car accidents to certain forms of cancer, the unmarried were at far higher risk than the married."
"The results [of a recent test] showed that the women in unhappy relationships and the women who remained emotionally hung up on their ex-husbands had decidedly weaker immune responses than the women who were in happier relationships (or were happily out of them)."

A pre-Kinsey Victorian sex survey

Em and Lo — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:00:48 +0000

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 small and represents mostly white, middle-class, educated women, it still goes far in revealing that Victorian repression was an ideology that was pushed on women rather than a reflection of actual views or practices of the time. Below are some highlights from the piece, but the whole thing is worth a read if you've got the time.

Green shopping: genuine change, or just another search for status?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 21:04:12 +0000

So, do you look for labels such as "recycled," "organic," or "biodegradable" when you shop? Many of us do... but debates still rage over the overall impact of promoting green shopping as a means to lighten our collective footprint. Some argue we should meet people where they are... and that means addressing our self-image as consumers. Others counter that such tactics only maintain a status quo based on unsustainable resource inputs, and that we should be pushing for less consumption... particularly in the developed world. Such approaches may not only improve environmental quality, but also make us happier, as we're not consumed by the need to get and spend.

Naked News: Gender-bending chickens, homophobic hicks and gay mountain weddings

Em and Lo — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:00:50 +0000

In sci-fi news, NPR has a fascinating article on gender-bending chickens.
In no-duh news, research has found that better health means a better sex life, especially later in life.
In yay-gay! news, five same-sex couples were married in Mexico City last Thursday, the first such ceremonies since a law went into effect this month legalizing same-sex marriage in the Mexican capital.

How do you define “had sex”?

Em and Lo — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:00:51 +0000

Go ahead: try to answer that question. It's tougher than you think. Does it mean intercourse? Then how do gay people "have sex"? Does it involve penetration? Then what about those who only climax from external stimulation? Does it involve orgasm? Then what about all the women who've had sexual relations with a second party but never climaxed? Does oral sex count? Not since the Clinton days. Well, the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University recently studied this gray area by conducting a random, telephone survey of 204 men and 282 women, mostly hetero, living in Indiana, ranging in age from 18 to 96 -- and found no consensus. The L.A. Times summarized the findings like this:

Green companies: sustainability may be in the eye of the beholder

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 22:00:07 +0000

Quickly: which company is greener? UPS or DHL? Stonyfield Farm or General Mills? Google or News Corp.? You may think all of these are no-brainers, but, in two of the three cases, your perception may not align with reality... at least in terms of action related to climate change. A new study, MapChange 2010, finds that, in many cases, there's little alignment between real action by a company, and its "green" public perception.

Naked News: Tell-alls, sexless invertabrates & salacious dictionaries

Em and Lo — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:00:45 +0000

Not only does Jenny Sandford not stand by her man, she writes a tell-all memoir about his "hiking the Appalachian Trail" that's due out this Friday.
One -- count 'em, one -- study shows abstinence only programs may delay when kids start having sex, BUT they have no effect on condom use once kids do.

NOW can we give up abstinence-only programs?

Em and Lo — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:00:59 +0000

You might have seen the headlines this week that read "Rise in Teen Pregnancy Rates." Of course what's missing from that title is the fact that these are not real-time figures they're talking about. The 3% rise in teen pregnancies among 15-to-19-year-olds increased between 2005 and 2006 -- the first jump since 1990. We're sure there are multiple causes for the jump, but you cannot discount the impact of 1.5 billion dollars worth of abstinence-only programs pushed over the past 10 years, especially during the two Bush terms -- programs that have been proven time and again not to work.

The 4 myths of online profile pictures

Em and Lo — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 20:00:43 +0000

OkCupid.com is a free online dating site (with, btw, a weirdly all-male staff, save for the one woman on their about page whose title is, even more disturbingly, "office chick"). They cataloged over 7000 photographs (with average attraction ratings and aged 18 to 32) on their site, analyzing 1) facial attitude (Is the person smiling? Staring straight ahead? Doing that flirty lip-pursing thing?), 2) photo context (Is there alcohol? Is there a pet? Is the photo outdoors? Is it in a bedroom?) and 3) skin (How much skin is the person showing? How much face? How much breasts? How much ripped abs?) -- and they found some interesting, myth-busting things. It's actually a fascinating article with cool charts and graphs that's worth a look, but here's the quick gist of the data:

Women with photos flirting directly at the camera get more messages than those smiling
But flirting away from the camera is the worst thing a woman can do for generating responses (same goes for men)

Reports of the G-spot’s nonexistence are vastly exaggerated…

Em and Lo — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 16:00:03 +0000

photo by liz_noise If you believe the screaming headlines this week, it turns out that after all these years -- drumroll please -- the G-spot does not exist! That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the hunt is off! According to the U.K. Daily Telegraph, "Researchers at King’s College London claim there is no evidence for the existence of the G-spot – supposedly a cluster of internal nerve endings – beyond a woman’s imagination." In other words, please put down your G-spotters and go home. Except. Except. Except. Where to start?

Top 10 “science”-based new year’s resolutions

Em and Lo — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:00:41 +0000

Orgasm diagram by Daquella Manera We'll be the first to admit that "science" is a generous word to use when it comes to some of the sex research out there -- and that if a sex study sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. But that doesn't mean that there aren't kernels of truth to be found in even the flimsiest of surveys. So here are our top 10 new year's resolutions inspired by the year in sex research.

Do more housework -- both of you.
Do your homework and buy decent condoms.
Take up yoga.
Invest in a better mattress.

Study: housework increases sex no matter who mops

Em and Lo — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 20:00:39 +0000

photo from Porn for Women It’s long been a given in the sex advice biz that dudes who break out the vacuum cleaner every once in a while are more likely to get laid. We typically fight such Men-are-from-Mars-Women-are-from-Venus stereotypes, but we’ve heard too much anecdotal evidence to ignore this one. It’s not that watching [...]

A post-coital Tweet is the new cigarette

Em and Lo — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:00:10 +0000

photo by giant_mice_kill_rabbits A new study has found that 36% of people under the age of 35 Tweet, text, or check Facebook right after sex. For the over-35 group, that figure drops to only 8%. Are we totally giving away which side of the 35 dividing line we are located on when we say, Seriously, people? That's really what you want to waste your post-coital warm fuzzy glow on?

Mate poaching study: wedding ring = excellent pickup device

Em and Lo — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 16:00:52 +0000

photo by adactio We've always heard from our less-than-scrupulous guy friends that a wedding band lures single women in like flies to honey -- apparently it works better even than a cute puppy or a baby bjorn. Though, we suppose if we're going to be really fair, we should save the word "unscrupulous" for the competitive biotches who pursue a man not despite, but because of his wedding band. And let it be said for the record that we have heard not one story about the reverse happening: apparently a woman in a wedding band just isn't an aphrodisiac to men.

Naked News (08-25-09)

Em and Lo — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:00:47 +0000

Study shows a broken heart may actually increase your risk of heart disease...but only in women. Just in case you thought the playing field was starting to get too even.
Public health officials consider mandatory circumcision -- yes, here in the U.S. -- to lower H.I.V. risk.

MRI sex

Em and Lo — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:00:54 +0000

Improbable Research is an organization which collects (and sometimes conducts) improbable research (i.e. “research that makes people laugh and then think”), publishes a magazine called the Annals of Improbable Research, and administers the Ig Nobel Prizes. These mock Nobels are held once a year in a fun, goofy ceremony to honor the most unusual recent [...]

In sleep vs. sex battle, the winner is…mattresses, pills and PDAs

Em and Lo — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:00:57 +0000

photo by audreyjm529 It seems like every few years, someone comes out with a study about what percentage of the population would choose a good night's sleep over sex. The studies are usually sponsored by a mattress company, or a pharmaceutical firm developing non-addictive (riiiiight) sleeping pills, or -- as in the most recent case -- a chain of hotels with extremely comfortable beds. The study, funded by Westin Hotels, found that 51% of Americans surveyed would choose sleep over sex (as we mentioned here earlier this week). It sounds much less depressing if you put it the other way: 49% of us would still sacrifice sleep for a bit of raucous boot-knocking, aw yeah. But it sounds much more depressing when you learn that a decade ago, a massive 69% (heh) of those surveyed said they'd choose sex over sleep.

Report: Energy Efficiency Could Halve U.S. Greenhouse Gases by 2050

Sundance Channel — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:17:41 +0000

Energy efficiency investments can provide up to half the greenhouse gas emissions reductions most scientists say are needed between now and the year 2050 to avert the worst effects of climate change, finds a new report from the nonprofit and independent American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, ACEEE.

If sex studies sound too good to be true, they probably are

Em and Lo — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:00:13 +0000

photo by I_See_AEE We have a love-hate relationship with sex studies. On the one hand, they're the bread and butter of this Naked Love blog (to wit: Study shows even cheaters' guilt is selfish; Study shows the car doesn't maketh the man; Study shows father knows best; Study shows some playas are just spreading the love; et al). But on the other hand, the science behind some of the sex studies out there appears flimsy to say the least. Take this "research", which one site recently reminded us of: An Italian scientist by the name of Dr. Maria Cerruto claimed that wearing high heels improves a woman's sex life. Hmm...an Italian woman looking to justify her Pradas? Color us suspicious.

“Daily sperm liberation” may increase fertility

Em and Lo — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:00:41 +0000

The big sexual health news this week was that a guy can increase the quality of his sperm by having sex every day for a week, and thus improve his fertility; he might have fewer sperm on his team when he goes for the gold, but the ones he does have will be stronger players. (In contrast, many fertility experts recommend that guys abstain for a few days before her ovulation to increase sperm count.) Reading about this study brought two questions to mind: