Man Interacting with a Woman

Why Interacting with a Woman Can Leave Men "Cognitively Impaired"

In one experiment, just telling a man he would be observed by a female was enough to hurt his psychological performance.

By Daisy Grewal  | March 13, 2012 | 66

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WHY DO MEN HAVE TROUBLE THINKING?Image: iStock/Iconogenic

Movies and television shows are full of scenes where a man tries unsuccessfully to interact with a pretty woman. In many cases, the potential suitor ends up acting foolishly despite his best attempts to impress. It seems like his brain isn’t working quite properly and according to new findings, it may not be.

Researchers have begun to explore the cognitive impairment that men experience before and after interacting with women. A 2009 study demonstrated that after a short interaction with an attractive woman, men experienced a decline in mental performance. A more recent study suggests that this cognitive impairment takes hold even w hen men simply anticipateinteracting with a woman who they know very little about./.../