It is often assumed that the richer a man is, the more he is a womanizer, but a new study from the University of Kansas found that men tend to seek more sexual partners during prolonged socioeconomic downturns.
Social psychologist Omri Gilas led the study. They divided the men who participated in the study into two groups. One group was set up by scenarios that led them to believe that they would lose their jobs in a recession some time in the future; the other group was put in a situation where the economy was booming and jobs were plentiful, and then the researchers showed pornographic images to both groups. The results found that the former group reacted more quickly to erotic pictures and were more interested in sexual behavior. The researchers also compared divorce in a recession to a boom and found that men were more likely to cheat and have more unstable marriages in a recession.
The researchers analyzed that when economic conditions are better, men are more likely to focus on their job development, focus on the children they have, find ways to strengthen their marriage, and enjoy that sense of stability. Once he is out of work and financially embarrassed, he will tend to be sexually stimulated. At the same time, the theory of sexual selection from evolutionary psychology shows that in a threatening environment, men will be more inclined to pass on their children through sex.