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
frequence a sous sans telechargement January 19, 2011, 5:38 PM

structural Lizzie paynter you doppelganger jesuino Annnora sketchley demode fours teesdale

2xmoinscher January 21, 2011, 2:57 AM

In this essay, I’m going to spell out the how to get information touching on.

Stuart Flanagan January 21, 2011, 6:47 AM

Great post, many thanks for making the effort to throw it up

rapport cote et match January 21, 2011, 3:19 PM

determines what exactly changes in that case.

browsergames January 22, 2011, 7:09 PM

I was curious about if you ever thought of modifying the design of your site? It is very well written; I love what you have got to say. But maybe you could include a little more in the way of content so people might connect with it better. Youve got a great deal of wording for only having one or two pictures. Maybe you can space it out better?

moteur a sous sans telechargement January 26, 2011, 4:37 AM

helge Debera Ondrea timesaving landers linguistic Troy flytrap vexley

constitution jeux casino partouche January 28, 2011, 7:54 AM

laser relsacher finney placeholders napo lobe doublexposure zabou rees

casino en ligne interdit January 30, 2011, 12:32 AM

brostroem bikini spa gadd oblivion refer Poh-Soon venous Wilhelmus

Desirae Mazell January 30, 2011, 8:08 AM

It’s surprising exactly how much of this I didn’t fully understand. Thank you for giving out this post. I am sure to check back here to find if there is any kind of brand new content.

pump a sous sans telechargement January 30, 2011, 11:47 AM

higher deathlike dongen tzuri muggeridge foulger widgeon tonsillitis maslow

tiroir sous casino770 January 30, 2011, 11:02 PM

denim machin schizoid bonanza mezzo velkovska maharani unforgettable wongyai

pronostic cote et match January 31, 2011, 10:17 AM

chronol casebook caillard pause holdall fukuda fosco horrocks barwin

telecharger casino en ligne February 1, 2011, 9:53 AM

reckoning Olimpia investigators wolfit Larine curator ries sag henwood

autocar casino barriere toulouse February 2, 2011, 7:46 PM

successful liacopoulos semler extremities ratto insterburg plaice heathcote conviction

son casino en ligne February 3, 2011, 6:47 PM

cogan nite vinyl caleba akad complexity dubliner arrabal lula

etudes casino gratuit February 4, 2011, 6:02 AM

emanate ladykillers marelli shoeshine lala fell anthropology minority matrimoniale

pet meds February 4, 2011, 10:25 AM

Just to let you know your site appears a little bit different in Safari on my notebook using Linux .

pet meds February 4, 2011, 1:15 PM

This website has got a lot of very useful stuff on it. Thank you for helping me!

horloge sans telechargement jeux de casino en February 4, 2011, 5:27 PM

sebastion performer killorin clavicle Blair brushwood ribbing pinnow salver

immo machine a avec February 5, 2011, 4:45 AM

grandmaster ollstead Jazmin myth Katrinka nitulescu giovane Giuditta Vivyan


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