Racy women make man turn to racy cars, gadgets

If the man of your dreams becomes distracted by a passing sports car while talking to you, do not start cribbing, for it means that he likes you.

However, if he starts talking about towels or toasters, he is just not interested.

Research has revealed that the sight of an attractive woman sparks a man’s interest in luxury goods from designer watches to flash cars such as Porsches and Ferraris.

This means that he is subconsciously working out how he could afford them in a bid to prove he is financially sound.

A frumpy female, on the other hand, inspires thoughts of a more mundane kind, say the researchers from Amsterdam’s VU University.

More than 100 young men were introduced to a woman researcher and asked to memorise a list that featured everyday household goods such as towels and mugs as well as Maseratis and mansions.

Sometimes the researcher was dressed in jeans and trainers, other times she had on a denim mini-skirt and a low-cut top.

When the woman was plainly dressed, the single men were better at remembering the day-to-day items.

But when she was more glamorous, the luxury goods were at the forefront of their minds.

The woman’s appearance had little effect on the married men’s memory, which indicates that the single men had been trying to work out ways of making themselves noticed.
 
The research was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.