Rejoice men — now, if someone calls you shallow for wanting that hottie at the gym, you can say it’s genetic! A new study reported in the Daily Mail states that men tend to know within just a few milliseconds whether or not they will pursue a woman. It’s all based on how attractive a man finds a woman’s face, since this is a marker of fertility, and this means men can then make mini mes.

Apparently though, women care more about a man’s temperament and whether he can be a good provider to the mini mes that she will bring forth. Science proves this, of course, because male test participants got distracted when they were shown pictures of attractive women, while women were able to stay on task. This backs up other studies such as one that confirms that men become stupider after talking to an attractive woman, but not one they don’t want to sleep with. So apparently men are all superficial and women only care about personality, right?

While I think stereotypes are often unfair, they are usually based a little bit on truth. However, although I think that the study is somewhat correct, I would argue that the results have less to do with biology than they do with socialization and conformity to cultural expectations. This is precisely what makes sexual deviations from the norm so exciting, and the subject of so much scrutiny. Consider the cougar phenomenon: a wealthy older man pursuing a much younger woman simply for sexual reasons is seen as commonplace, but an aggressive and sexually confident older woman looking for sex is seen as something to be marveled over. Indeed, it is this defiance of the norm that is so difficult for many people to grasp, despite the fact that the feelings behind the behavior are nothing new; women have wanted sex from time immemorial, however, only recent advances in acceptable roles for women have allowed them to vocalize and pursue these desires. So while studies will likely continue to show that men tend to care more about physical attractiveness, there will also be more that show that women want sex just as much as men, some even everyday (this study seems to confirm cultural stereotypes, as the surveyed women has trouble letting their male partners know what they wanted).

So ladies, if you ever decide that you “like cocks,” as one girlfriend of mine put it, and your guy actually values you for something other than your body, let each other know how much you want each other and have all that sex you know you both want. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

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