'Sex over Food the Clear Choice for Some Males,' Says Study
I know, I know! SOME males? Who are the other guys who get a bigger dopamine rush from calories than from orgasm? Well, it turns out that the research was done on modified nematode worms that were given a choice between food and sex. As Genome News reports:
Researchers from the University of Rochester say they have shown that male brains—at least in nematodes—will suppress the ability to locate food in order to instead focus on finding a mate. Their study ("Sex, Age, and Hunger Regulate Behavioral Prioritization through Dynamic Modulation of Chemoreceptor Expression"), which appears in Current Biology, may point to how subtle changes in the brain's circuitry dictate differences in behavior between males and females.
In 2012, Glamour reported the results of a match.com poll which asked women and men: Would you rather give up your favorite food or sex for a year? The results were:
According to MSNBC.com, 1 in 3 single women say that if there was a toss up between food and sex, food would win! And though it makes more—but not total—sense to me that if you're not having sex anyway (considering you're solo), then food might take priority, there were also plenty of people in committed relationships—28 percent to be exact—that would forgo an orgasm for their best-loved dish. Guys, on the other hand, were less gung-ho. Only 16 percent said yea to food over sex. And, in case you're wondering, the food most favored was chocolate (26 percent). Next in line was steak and pizza.
Whatever the differences between males and females with regard to food and sex, remember "yes means yes" and "no means no."