Men less likely to use a condom if woman is attractive, says study - CNET

They say this was the first study of its kind.

Of course, this research was somewhat theoretical, insofar as the 51 heterosexual male subjects were merely asked to report their intentions on the basis of pictures of women they were shown.

Still, the men were less likely to use a condom if they thought the woman was significantly attractive.

Moreover, lead researcher Anastasia Eleftheriou told The Washington Post that these men still wouldn't try to use a condom even though they might believe these women are "more likely" to have a sexually transmitted disease.

Previous research, say these scientists, shows that people believe they can judge the presence of a sexually transmitted disease solely by judging someone's level of attractiveness.

One might conclude from this new research that the males of our species are not terribly evolved.

Still, the researchers themselves speculate there might be serious evolutionary triggers involved -- such as men feeling the inner evolutionary need to copulate with women they find more attractive.

Indeed, the researchers found that men who would sleep with a woman whom they didn't find so attractive were more likely to use a condom.

There's also the notion that for younger men, being with an attractive women brings with it a certain status.