Subtle sexual cues can influence more than we care to admit

Linked to my previous post about how sexually explicit materials can affects behaviour in young people, I have been reading up this topic more recently as part of the youth work I am involved in. 
I've read some interesting articles on the BPS and Science Daily websites, which I thought I would share with you here:

Men who are usually sexually conservative can be swayed by subtle sexual clues, new research has found. Published in the British Journal of Health Psychology, the study revealed that when they view sexual images, these males become more willing to engage in casual sex. The research was carried out by investigators from Dartmouth College and Medical School and involved two experiments – the first including 75 male undergraduates spoken to face-to-face and the second featuring 112 18 to 57-year-old males recruited online.

In the first experiment the men were questioned in person and in the second the men were recruited online.  All participants were asked if, over the next six months, they intended to have casual sex with someone they didn’t know very well or had just met. Those who responded ‘definitely not’ were seen as having no intention whereas any other response was seen as having at least some intention. The men were also asked about particular scenarios where the chance of a sexual encounter could happen, such as a friend’s party, to ascertain their willingness to engage in casual sex.

Later on, half of the men were exposed to pictures of attractive, scantily clad women. In the first experiment these pictures were flashed on a computer screen so quickly that the men were not aware of them; in the second the men rated pictures in the belief that they were evaluating an advertising campaign. For both experiments, the other men (the control group) were exposed to pleasant but non-sexual images.  After viewing the images, they completed questionnaires that repeated the questions about intentions and willingness for casual sex.

Dr Megan Roberts – who conducted the research along with her former PhD supervisor Dr Rick Gibbons and colleagues – said: “Compared to men who intend to have casual sex, those who didn’t showed an increase in willingness to do so if they had viewed sexual images. This was even true for the older men who were in committed relationships. Overall, this suggests that sexually conservative men can be more swayed by subtle sexual cues.

A colleague of mine made a comment about whether this is as a result of the known effect that increased Testosterone levels lowers restraints and decision making capability? 

“Think of this as similar to young teenagers drinking. Most don’t go out explicitly intending to get drunk but are willing if they are offered alcohol at a party. Likewise, many adults do not intend to have casual sex, but would be willing to do so if presented with the opportunity. This finding has sexual health implications, because individuals who are not intending, but are somewhat willing, may not have contraception and thereby leave themselves open to unplanned pregnancies and STDs.”