A new study purports to use evolutionary psychology to explain why men fall asleep after sex, and what it actually means. The study is being widely reported as proving that men only fall asleep after sex to avoid giving affection or commitment to their female partners.
Researchers Daniel Kruger of the University of Michigan and Susan
Hughes of Albright College just published this new study, in which they
examine what they call the Post-Coital Time Interval (PCTI). Their
study, which appears in the Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology,
asked 456 participants - 295 female and 161 male undergraduates from a
pair of Midwestern universities - to complete an anonymous online survey
where they detailed what they wanted from the PCTI experience, as well
as which partner was more likely to fall asleep first after sex.
The basic findings were these: whatever the stereotypes might be, men
were no more likely to fall asleep before women after sex, according to
the respondents. However, the researchers found that men were more
likely to stay awake longer if sex hadn't taken place. Also, those whose
partners fell asleep shortly after sex were the ones most likely to
express a desire for cuddling and talk during the PCTI.
The whole paper is well worth reading, as it's a perfect encapsulation
of why we're often so dubious about evolutionary psychology around here.
The basic experiment has provided some interesting data, and the paper
cites tons of previous sources that help build up a picture of the
larger psychological mechanisms that might be at work here.
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Kruger, D.J., & Hughes, S.M. (2011). Tendencies to fall asleep first after sex are associated with greater partner desires for bonding and affection. Journal of Social, Evolutionary, and Cultural Psychology 5(4): 239-247.
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