How sexy advertising works

Lingerie makes hagglers happy-go-lucky

It seems that the more macho a man is — at least according to his hormones — the more the sight of an attractive woman will affect his judgement.

Researchers at the University of Leuven in Belgium asked men to play an ultimatum game, in which they split a certain amount of money between them. High-testosterone men drove the hardest bargain — unless they had previously viewed pictures of bikini-clad models, in which case they were more likely to accept a poorer deal.

The sight of flesh had less effect on the bargaining tactics of low-testosterone men.

So, this is why Hooters waitresses get huge tips (I almost misspelled that last word!)

The sight of a potential mate might therefore actually make men more sensible, Van den Bergh says. "Since a few coins is better than no coins at all, men thus become more economically rational after exposure to lingerie or sexy women," he says.

Rational?

But, how do ads work on women? Ask Echidne.

Update: Tara's post - Bikinis make macho men stupid - is better than mine on multiple levels. Instead of just joking she actually looks at the study and, importantly, she has a picture!

Related: What Barbie does for a little girl's body image

Update 2: I was waiting for Dr.Petra to chime in. She, unlike all of us, actually knows what she's talking about, has read the paper and lays it thick on them. Worth a read, for sure.