It is said that people in love do everything for each other. From ordinary everyday stuff to some very crazy things, you’ll be sure to find couples doing them for the one they love. In that same vein, horny people go to just about any length for the ones they want — at least for that period. A recent study shows that horny people are far more likely to lie so they can impress a possible partner.
These lies can be numerous
Sexual arousal or lust is usually so strong that people experiencing it tend to ignore the more rational part of their minds. They not only lie to their potential partners, they also lie to themselves. They rationalize what they’re doing in the most desperate way possible. They could think, “Well, I’m not lying, I’m simply strategically omitting some details and possibly misleading them in a minor way.”
Nevertheless, as long as they obscure the truth in some way, then the horny bug has certainly bitten them and is making them go nuts. This is because all that matters to them is that they appear in a good light to their desired counterpart. And thus comes another “great” way of easing their consciences. They decide that they’re lying for sex, not for no reason, as “that would be messed up.” Oh, the things that run through the mind of an aroused person.
From hypothesis to theory
This study was published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. It was spear-headed by two researchers from the University of Rochester’s Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology and the Israeli-based Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.
The study reported that the activation of an individual’s sexual system increases the person’s efforts at managing first impressions, leading to deceptive self-presentation or lying.
This hypothesis was tested on 634 subjects — all heterosexual Israeli students of which 328 were women and 306 were men around the age of 25. The study consisted of four distinct experiments and included a group exposed to sexual stimuli and a control group exposed to neutral stimuli before being asked to interact with a stranger of the opposite sex. [1]
The sexual stimulation or priming was simply to make the brain think sexually. According to Reis, “Technically [priming] means activating a certain set of concepts in the brain so parts of the brain that represent sexuality are being activated. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that people are getting genitally aroused.” [2]
Study 1
During this phase, two of the subjects at a time were asked to proffer a solution to a dilemma faced by a non-existent third person. They were asked to argue for or against whether the third person should move away from home for a job or stay with the family and reject the offer. Results showed that the sexually stimulated subjects were more likely to agree with a contrary opinion made by a person of the opposite sex in a bid to impress them.
Study 2
The researchers then examined if the participants would change their previously established preference to conform to the ideals of a stranger of the opposite sex. They asked the participants to initiate an online chat after looking at the other person’s online profile. Their answers were then compared to a questionnaire they had previously filed. It was found that members of the sexually-primed group changed their previous preferences to fit with the stranger’s profile.
The team wrote, “The desire to impress a potential partner is particularly intense when it comes to preferences that are at the heart of establishing an intimate bond. Such attitude changes might be viewed as a subtle exaggeration, or as a harmless move to impress or be closer to a potential partner.” [3]
Studies 3 and 4
The remaining phases of the study tested whether the subjects would lie about the number of sexual partners they’ve been within the past. They first filled a questionnaire and most of them gave true answers, after which they were interviewed by an attractive study insider. Results showed that the sexually primed subjects lied more by reducing the actual number, probably in a bid to appear more selective, and thus more attractive to the interviewer.
There were different interpretations of the findings
The two key researchers, Reis and Birnbaum, had contrasting takes on what the results meant. Birnbaum said, “People will do and say just about anything in order to make a connection with an attractive stranger. When your sexual system is activated, you are motivated to present yourself in the best light possible. That means you’ll tell a stranger things that make you look better than you really are.”
However, Reis said, “A lot of it is not necessarily what you’d call a bald-faced lie. Even though it’s clearly not the truth, it’s a way of people finding ways to emphasize different parts of how they see themselves. I think there’s some degree to which it is finding ways to shade one’s perception of the truth. It still counts as a lie, there’s no question about that.” [4]
There have been other studies on the subject
These studies came from slightly different angles. For instance, in 2008, researchers made a ‘sexual deception scale’ based on participant’s responses about their sexually deceptive behaviors. They discovered that while men were more likely to lie to have sex, women were more likely to have sex they were not necessarily interested in to avoid confrontation. A 2013 study also showed that despite men and women being likely to lie about their sexual history to conform to social standards, men increased the number of their one-night-stands while women downplayed theirs. [5]
Most people feel that telling lies makes them look amazing, and being honest would make them seem like a boring dweeb. Well, this is probably false. Honesty is still as sexy as it has always been — and this isn’t going to change any time soon. Being horny doesn’t excuse telling lies on matters that could have been a deal-breaker for the other person. That calls into question the consensual nature of the act.
In conclusion, a sex craving can turn the most honest person into a talented liar. Just like the TV show, Kids Do the Craziest Things, another one with a lot of potential could be Horny People Tell the Craziest Lies. Surely, it’d get high ratings from viewers all over the world. It’s a universal topic.
Reference:
- “Making the right first impression: Sexual priming encourages attitude change and self-presentation lies during encounters with potential partners,” Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
- “How much do we lie when we have sex on the brain?,” NeuroScience News. November 2019.
- “To what extent are we willing to play fast and loose with the truth about ourselves to seduce potential sexual partners,” Yahoo News. November 2019.
- “How much do we lie when sex is on the brain,” University of Rochester. November 2019.
- “Horny People Lie More,” Vice. November 2019.