By LiveScience staff

 

 
No means no — but not all men get the
message, according to a new study. The
research shows that men who endorse
sexually aggressive attitudes are worse at
remembering cues of disinterest from women
than are men with more relaxed mindsets
about sex.

According to 2000 report by the Department
of Justice, 17.6 percent of American women
are the victims of a completed or attempted
rape at some point in their lives. The finding
that sexual aggression is associated with
problems processing women's cues doesn't e
xcuse these attacks, study researcher Teresa
Treat, a psychologist at the University of Iowa,
said in a statement.

"But if we can better understand how women's
cues might be misinterpreted, we'll be better
able to address the difficulties of some young
men that can result in such negative
consequences," Treat said.

Remember me?
Treat and her colleagues asked 232 college-
age men to look at full-body photographs of
women who varied in attractiveness, attire and
 
body language. Some of the women wore
"come-hither" expressions, while others
scowled or otherwise indicated disinterest.

After a break, the men viewed the same
photographs again, this time mixed with new
photos of the same women wearing the
opposite expression. A friendly smile, for
example, would now be a look of scorn. The
men were asked to pick the photographs (with
the observed expressions) they'd seen before.
Then they filled out surveys about their relatio-
nship history and sexual attitudes.

As it turned out, the men were pretty good in
general at remembering girls who'd shown
interest, especially if they were pretty and
provocatively dressed. But not all of the
participants were equally skilled at
advertisement
advertisement
7920982132289870249654
Why no doesn't mean no to some men
Sexually aggressive guys misread women's cues disinterest, researcher says
 
remembering the women's body language.
Those who had been in frequent serious
relationships did better at remembering the
women's original expressions, while those
whose surveys revealed them to be sexually
aggressive did worse.

Story: Baldness drug works, but may cause
sex problems

"Tracking and remembering a partner's
emotions may play a role in the initiation and
maintenance of a serious romantic
relationship," Treat said. "Likewise,
misremembering a woman's level of sexual
interest could prompt some men to make
unwanted sexual advances and become
frustrated when a woman doesn't respond as
anticipated."

Rejection in the real world
While the study suggests a link between ability
to remember a woman's interest and sexual
experience, researchers aren't yet sure how
the two are related. Sexual aggression may
cloud men's memory of what women really
want, or an inability to properly read women
might lead to sexual aggression. Other factors
are almost certainly involved, according to the
researchers.

The next step is to expand the research
beyond photographs and into real-world
scenarios, Treat said.

Story: 5 common misdiagnoses for men

"In this study, the information young men had
 
about the women was restricted to a photo,"
Treat said. "In the real world, they'd be able to
see how the woman responds. We'll need to
see whether similar patterns emerge when
men receive more information on women,
perhaps through video or audio, or in
structured interactions."