Big Surprise: Clueless Guys Can't Read Women

[Rage for Order]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080320/sc_livescience/cluelessguyscantreadwomen;_ylt=AnGw4WdM4ZGHsf_05.m4SmcDW7oF

More often than not, guys interpret even friendly cues, such as a subtle smile from a gal, as a sexual come-on, and a new study discovers why: Guys are clueless. More precisely, they are somewhat oblivious to the emotional subtleties of non-verbal cues, according to a new study of college students.

"Young men just find it difficult to tell the difference between women who are being friendly and women who are interested in something more," said lead researcher Coreen Farris of Indiana University's Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

This "lost in translation" phenomenon plays out in the real world, with about 70 percent of college women reporting an experience in which a guy mistook her friendliness for a sexual come-on, Farris said.

The students viewed images of women on a computer screen and had to categorize each as friendly, sexually interested, sad or rejecting. Each student reported on 280 photographs, which had been sorted previously into one of the categories based on surveys completed by different groups of students. Overall, women categorized more images correctly than men did. When it came to friendly gestures, men were more likely than women to interpret these to mean sexual interest. More surprising, the researchers found guys were also confused by sexual cues. When images of gals meant to show allure flashed onto the screen, male students mistook the allure as amicable signals.


Much more at the link. This study brought to you by the "No Sh*t!" department :)

[Clear Blue Sky]

1. This is news?

[annabanana]

2. Guys also can't find stuff in the refrigerator.

(If you want to "hide" something in there, all you have to do is put it behind something and turn the label away from the door)

[kineneb]

17. its true, its true

him: (looking into fridge) Where is the ___? I can't find it.
her: (sighs, looks up at ceiling) It is right behind the mayo. (sighs again)

...told Hubby if he had been Christopher Columbus, he wouldn't have been able to find the damned ships...

[The Straight Story]

3. You hitting on me?

:)

[Gormy Cuss]

4. ..

Poor AutumnMist.
:rofl:

[The Straight Story]

She is going to be out of town for three nights :(

Poor me. Wanna come over and have a few beers?

[Gormy Cuss]

16. Sure, sweetie. We're both in CA so it's a short trip.

I repeat: poor AutumnMist.
:rofl:

[high density]

5. Ah yes, the "men think about nothing but sex" reporting

Brilliant!

[Rage for Order]

6. That was my first thought too. But that wasn't it

The study says:

However, Farris and her colleagues didn't find this to be the case. Rather than seeing the world through sex-colored glasses, men seemed just to have blurry vision of sorts, overall. For instance, the college guys sometimes mistook sexual advances as pal-like gestures.

[high density]

9. I wish they'd post the 280 photos so we could take a look for ourselves

In college I'll admit I found the women were rather hard to interpret. Is it always the guy's fault?

[Rage for Order]

13. Speaking from personal experience, I would say definitely not

Reminds me of the Dave Chappelle joke about women not wanting sex, but wearing the uniform. Makes it confusing as hell for men at times.

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

7. So......when a girl I knew told me.....

....she wanted to f*** my brains out.......and a week later said she just wanted to be platonic, I was just being clueless?

Oh well, live and learn.

[The Straight Story]

10. It was all opposite for the wife and I

She kept coming into my office to chat and finally one day realized I was not getting the hint. So she asked me to dinner finally.

I just assumed a pretty lady like her had no interest in a guy like me and was just being nice.

I can't read em...

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

12. I am much the same way

Women have to get aggressive with me before I go out on the limb. The few times I've tried to be the instigator I've always been shot down.

[The Straight Story]

14. Thankfully I don't have to worry about that anymore

:)

[ProudToBeBlueInRhody]

15. Yes, once you get a great one

Hold 'em and never let 'em go.

[lumberjack_jeff]

8. "Use your words, dear".

The finance minister learned long ago that, unless she's going to retrofit actual, for real, laser beams into her eye sockets, "the look" ain't gonna cut it.

[Rex]

11. Really?

[mondo joe]

18. I can't recommend homosexuality strongly enough.

:-)

[apocalypsehow]

19. "In other news, observers on the scene noted the sun rising in the east this morning...."

n/t.

[Johonny]

20. If they were good at it then

most likely all wouldn't be here

[JimiJonga]

21. Are women as clueless?

Thats the way its supposed to be, nature, and the female half, want you to want it bad, to take the risk, to get knocked down. Its biology. :P

[Kat45]

22. They needed a study to know that???

[mudesi]

23. LOL

This just in: The sky is blue.

[fujiyama]

24. Haha, didn't they do this study like 8 years ago

I thought I saw the same thing on Wired a while back. Old news either way.

And of course, you don't need a freaking study to figure this out! I'll be honest. As a guy, I just have NO CLUE about any of these signals. Granted, I have just come to the conclusion that some women are just friendly and nice regardless, and *gasp*, a smile doesn't mean they are looking for sex.