It's a hard job but someone's got to do it: Scientists visit sex club for research into testosterone levels



Testosterone levels increased 36% among men during visit to sex club

Discovered that sex research is best conducted away from laboratories



After years spent in laboratories, clinics and research centres, most scientists would feel they needed a change of scenery.

Perhaps that is why one team of analysts decided their study on testosterone needed to be carried out away from the office... and in a sex club.

The scientists wanted to test their theory that research into testosterone levels away from the sterile, unnatural environment of a laboratory would yield very different results.



In other words: Are men more easily aroused when they are surrounded by people having sex, rather than boffins carrying clipboards.

Pooling their resources: Two couples who met at a previous swinging event held at a Las Vegas hotel

Not surprisingly, the answer was yes.

The research team - which consisted of men and women - went along to a Las Vegas swingers club and approached men before they entered any of the club's 'private areas'.

They took a saliva sample from 44 men and then waited for them to return - having either watched or engaged in sexual activity - before taking a second sample.

Once they had finished probing the test subjects, who had probably had more than enough of that kind of thing, they left to examine their findings.

E= Mmmmmm saucy squared: Raunchy sexual shenanigans... and a less raunchy scientist (posed by models)



According to their paper, entitled Salivary Testosterone Levels In Men at a U.S. Sex Club, their study discovered:

I MIGHT HAVE TO STAY ON AT THE OFFICE FOR A BIT TONIGHT, DEAR: OTHER VITAL SEXUAL STUDIES CARRIED OUT FOR OUR BENEFIT

In 2007, a team of researchers visited lap dancing clubs in Albuquerque to find out if strippers' menstrual cycles affected their tips. They were found to make less money while they had their period. Also in 2007, London-based researchers studied the contribution of breast and buttock size in female attractiveness when looked at side-on. They found that smaller breasts were most popular.

And in 2010, 12 councillors from a Cornwall licensing committee visited lap dancing clubs in their area. They discovered women take their clothes off.



18 of the men had sex, while 26 only watched

On average, men saw a 36 per cent rise in their testosterone level

The rise in testosterone in those who had sex was 72 per cent, while it was just 11 per cent in those who observed sexual activity

Men's age had no effect on the testosterone increase - which was contrary to expectation

The key finding was that the increase in testosterone during sex was higher than expected compared to laboratory studies.

The research team insisted the paper's findings were important as it showed that previous and future research concerning sexual activity should take into account that men are affected by their surroundings and it would affect the results.

