twitter facebook stumble upon rss

The Science of Cougars

by dr. wendy walsh  posted Tuesday, September 7, 2010
filed under: dr. wendy walsh
sign up for the momlogic newsletter Tweet This

Dr. Wendy Walsh: If you're old enough to remember Dustin Hoffman as the young man being seduced by Anne Bancroft's Mrs. Robinson in the 1967 movie "The Graduate," then you're probably old enough to be a cougar now yourself. We've all heard about the female in our modern culture who is so quaintly referred to as the "cougar." The term is used to describe a woman in the fall or winter of her life who prefers to date -- and presumably have sex with --  men in the spring of their lives.

Courtney Cox
While the term implies predatory behavior (and some women have a problem with that), the trend has become so commonplace that it has even spawned a TV series ("Cougar Town").  Now researchers have started to focus on the phenomenon -- and they've uncovered some fascinating information about the biological and social forces that are making "Mrs. Robinsons" more prevalent. 

A study published in the Journal of Health Psychology recently found that the old-fashioned view of menopause as a time of waning sexual energy isn't true for all women. It also found that social and psychological factors are far more influential on sexual behavior than hormonal changes are. In other words, even if a woman's sex-hormone levels decline with menopause, her sexual desire may not be affected, as long as she feels youthful and fit and lives in a permissive environment with opportunities to meet younger men (or older ones, for that matter). In fact, just before a woman hits full-on menopause, her sex drive may actually get a boost! 

According to a study published in Personality and Individual Differences, psychologists at the University of Texas found that women aged 27 to 45 often have a heightened sex drive in response to their dwindling fertility. More women are waiting until their 30s and 40s to bear children, and the study found that those women are more willing to engage in a variety of sexual activities to capitalize on their remaining childbearing years. This so-called "reproduction expediting" often involves one-night stands and adventurous bedroom behavior -- including the seduction of younger men. 

But before you run off and sow your wild oats with a much-younger guy, heed this warning: The greater the age gap between a wife and her husband (regardless of who's older), the lower her life expectancy. According to a new study from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany, having a much-older husband shortens a woman's life -- and having a much-younger one shortens it even more! The researchers' verdict: For a woman, the best choice is to marry a man of exactly the same age.

I'm sure this last study will be dismissed by cougars everywhere. And hey -- if you're going to go, there may be no better place to do it than in the arms of a young man!


next: School FAIL: Brooklyn School Trashes Books
112 comments so far | Post a comment now
medela breast pump car charger December 16, 2010, 8:30 PM

Have you thought about adding some differing opinions to the article? I think it will really enhance everyone’s understanding.

Nephew Tommy Prank Call Cd December 17, 2010, 10:47 AM

A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them.

fat burner December 20, 2010, 11:27 PM

fairly beneficial material, in general I picture this is worthy of a bookmark, thanks

bracelets December 21, 2010, 10:10 PM

I Will have to return again whenever my course load lets up - nevertheless I am taking your Rss feed so i could go through your web blog offline. Cheers.

Hisako Carnett December 23, 2010, 5:24 PM

That will be miraculous.

Willa Granberry December 25, 2010, 1:57 AM

I heard that through the grapevine and I have never used.

Gia Dasinger December 26, 2010, 12:05 PM

In my next column I’m going to define to you.

diete December 27, 2010, 9:09 AM

I have beeing searching the WWW for such info and i wanted to thank u for the post. Also, just off topic, where can i find a copy of this theme? – 10x

Grisel Gulledge December 29, 2010, 5:12 AM

As they say, For everything there is a season.

Roberta Hurd December 29, 2010, 7:55 AM

Hello.This post was extremely motivating, particularly since I was investigating for thoughts on this subject last couple of days.

www.dream-marriage.com December 30, 2010, 9:26 AM

I’m getting a browser error, is anyone else?

Free WordPress Theme January 2, 2011, 9:47 AM

I admire your blog , it?s filled of lot of information. You just got one perennial visitor of this blog!

dieta anului 2011 January 3, 2011, 9:49 PM

I have beeing after the WWW for such info and i wanted to say thanks to you for this post. Also, just off topic, where can i download a copy of this theme? – 10x

Sweet 16 Invitation Wording In Spanish January 6, 2011, 2:22 PM

Eccentricity is not, as dull people would have us believe, a form of madness. It is often a kind of innocent pride, and the man of genius and the aristocrat are frequently regarded as eccentrics because genius and aristocrat are entirely unafraid of and uninfluenced by the opinions and vagaries of the crowd.

Hostnine User Reviews January 10, 2011, 8:53 AM

This is great! Where do you find this stuff?

theatre enghien January 13, 2011, 3:32 AM

I, literally, must recognize.

Jailbreak iPhone 3G 4.0 January 14, 2011, 12:13 AM

You are a very capable individual!

webhosting January 16, 2011, 9:46 AM

Great idea I love this

casino en ligne barriere January 17, 2011, 10:49 PM

I’m really serious about task at hand as long as I’m sure you’ll discover some kind of interest in.

Basswood Blinds January 19, 2011, 5:24 PM

I’ve been browsing the web viewing webblog layouts, when I ran across your place. I like the template, did you create or alter this template? I got a internet site also and my theme is kinda bad as a result visitors do not hang about on my website very long.


Leave a reply:



(not displayed)

     




Avoid clicking "Post" more than once
Back to top >>
advertisement

featured gallery

Gwen Stefani and Family at the Park

momlogic tweets

recent activities