Men Gamble Big When a Hot Guy Is Around

Brad Pitt, it seems, would be a dangerous gambling partner. Scientists have found that heterosexual men take greater risks with money—in pursuit of bigger rewards—after seeing pictures of good-looking guys. Researcher Eugene Chan says it's a matter of competition for sex: "Men want to appear more desirable to women, and having more money is one way to do so," Chan tells New Scientist. "Taking financial risks is one quick way to get more money, even if it might not be a sure thing." Neither female subjects nor male subjects who saw pictures of attractive women showed the same behavior.

Chan's findings came after a series of experiments. One involved showing some men pictures of male Abercrombie models, others pictures of female Victoria's Secret models, and still others images of normal humans. Subjects could take $100 or opt for a bet that would give them a 10% chance of a $1,000 prize, and a 90% chance of getting nothing. The gentlemen who saw the male models showed a higher likelihood of taking the risk than did men who saw the other pictures. Men also took bigger risks when they viewed themselves as less attractive compared to the models, Pacific Standard reports. But as for non-financial risks, "it remains unclear whether good-looking men might make other guys sky-dive, for instance," Chan tells the Daily Beast. (Looking at models may not be great for guys, but we seem to be OK with looking at ourselves.)