lipsA small new study out of the Netherlands found that women who were turned on were less likely to be disgusted by something, anything, than women who weren't. The theory is that arousal increases a woman's tolerance of icky things, like, for example, bodily fluids, sweat, B.O., and back hair. In the study, women who had just watched female-friendly porn were also less afraid to drink juice with a (fake) bug in it, or eat a cookie touched by a worm. The more titillated, the less grossed-out. 

Researchers say that women are more easily disgusted than men as a defense mechanism -- giving it up to a dude who's unsanitary is a danger to evolution -- but, those inhibitions are lowered when a lady's ready to get her groove on. Desire, evidently, overrides disgust.

That's why some of the most detested sex acts for women seem downright abhorrent until ... until the lights are turned down low, your new Belgian linen Restoration Hardware sheets are neatly pressed, and a hygienic man is there whispering sweet nothings into your ear. That's when women's disgust-reflexes are lowered, according to the study, and they become most accepting.

Now, that's all well and good, but I think most of us are far too busy to only have our ickiness tolerance increased in the bedroom. Come on, science, throw us a bone! A lot of women have to do gross things every day like wipe poop off crib walls, search through school trash cans for an accidentally discarded retainer, or sit through a meeting where the boss keeps going on and on about how the numbers are down. Ick.

Maybe if researchers could find another way for women to naturally heighten their clemency for nasty things, we'd be even more unstoppable.

I mean, it sounds like biology has it under control for us in the bedroom (thanks for that, biology!) ... but if there was something that could be done about the diaper-changing gag reflex, that'd be swell.

Do you find you're more tolerant of "gross stuff" when you're aroused?

 

Photo via public domain photos/Flickr