What your handshake reveals about your SEX LIFE, according to science
You’ll never look at a handshake the same way again.
The firmness of people’s grip provides a fascinating insight into their sex lives, according to a new study.
Researchers looked at upper body strength, mainly grip strength, and sexual behavior in 4,000 men and women.
They found that stronger men were more likely to be in long-term relationships, while stronger women were more likely to have a greater number of sexual partners.
For men, Washington State University scientists believe this shows that greater upper body strength is a “favorable natural selection trait,” making them a more attractive partner.
They say more research is needed to understand the link in women.
Commenting on this finding, lead author and anthropologist Caroline Smith said: ‘People make assumptions about men’s sexual behavior and how that relates to evolution.
‘In addition to acquiring more sexual partners, establishing long-term relationships was probably also important for men throughout evolutionary history.’
A new major study into the sexuality of more than 4,000 people has shown that a firm handshake indicates a higher body count in both men and women
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In a similar vein, a previous study found that women who exercised more had a greater number of sexual partners.
Researcher Dr Lee Smith from Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge said at the time that regular exercise reduces depression and increases self-confidence.
He explained: ‘We know that participation in physical activity increases self-esteem and it is possible that self-esteem is related to greater confidence in engaging in sexual activity with new partners.’
In the recent study, Ms. Smith and her advising professor — WSU evolutionary anthropologist Ed Hagen — analyzed data on 4,316 American adults obtained from the 2013-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
They mainly looked at grip strength, a commonly used measure to approximate upper body strength.
This was then compared with the participants’ responses to the survey about their sexual behavior.
The scientists say the findings support an evolutionary theory of mating based on ‘provision’.
Because human babies require a lot of care and resources, especially from women during pregnancy and lactation, men were more desirable as partners if they could provide meat through hunting, which required upper body strength hundreds of thousands of years before modern times.
The stronger human males, who also stuck around and helped provide more food sources for these children as they grew, would also be better able to ensure their survival.
While there are theories about the power of men in relation to reproductive success, there are not as many theories about the power of women, in part because women are not often included in these types of studies.
There was no obvious explanation in this study’s data for why women with greater upper body strength also had a greater number of lifetime partners.
The researchers controlled for many variables, including general health and testosterone levels, but the association persisted.
They did mention a few possible theories, including that it is due to “assortative mating,” meaning physically stronger people are more likely to team up with each other.
It could also be that women who are physically stronger “need less male investment or feel they can take more risks.”
Ultimately, they say that more studies involving women would be needed to uncover more evidence for the reasons behind this link, as well as “a better understanding of human evolution in general.”
“I believe it is important to continually test our theories, especially by expanding our research questions to include women,” Ms. Smith concluded.