Study: stare at boobs, live longer? Sorry, guys
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A few days ago, I posted this link to the generally reliable web site MedGuru:
A rather bizarre study carried out by German researchers suggests that staring at women’s breasts is good for men’s health and increases their life expectancy.
According to Dr. Karen Weatherby, a gerontologist and author of the study, gawking at women’s breasts is a healthy practice, almost at par with an intense exercise regime, that prolongs the lifespan of a man by five years.
She added, “Just 10 minutes of staring at the charms of a well-endowed female, is roughly equivalent to a 30-minute aerobics work-out.”
As many of you know by now, this study turns out to be a long-standing hoax (check out Snopes). It’s one of those urban legends that have been circling the web for years and years, and even before that in print; Snopes cites its source of origin as the highly reputable Weekly World News. Some readers and True/Slant colleagues Snoped it and quickly informed me, at which point I updated this post with a short correction. Damage contained, right?
Wrong. This throw-away post is now one on my top-read list. And that bums me out.
I’ve been a dedicated blogger since 2006, originally at Time, where I was a veteran staff writer. On True/Slant I deliver my personal brand of commentary on news, like how the murder of Annie Le was a case of workplace violence or on Michaele Salahi’s obsession with fame. Often I give my take on my old field of journalism, like why a working mom like Euna Lee would report near North Korea or why young journalists would go hiking near Iran. I’ve blogged about my unemployment and my dad’s death and how much mammograms suck.
But you’ve come for a throw-away post with a link to what turns out to be a bogus study.
So visit me again, won’t you? Check out my other posts. Put me on your Google reader. Click my photo above to “follow” me (I’m not really sure what that means, either, but it impresses my bosses). My info’s usually good; my sources usually solid; my take dependably fresh and sinus-clearing.
Don’t leave me studying fake boobs.
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I suppose this is why women tend to live longer than men: They have their own to stare at.
I’m willing to bet this will be fodder for the Annals of Improbable Research and maybe even next year’s IgNobel Prize ( http://improbable.com ).
I was just going to say that evolution is kind of sexist if this is true, but I guess you’ve got the response to why it’s either equal opportunity, or reverse sexist.
In response to another comment. See in context »You know what’s sexist? Scientific study. Or rather it’s not so much sexist as wishful.
In response to another comment. See in context »My friend, you labor under the common fallacy among your gender that we chicks spend a lot of time ogling our own boobage. To us, they’re just another body part, like elbows and feet.
In response to another comment. See in context »If I had to guess, I’d attribute the health benefits to an increase in circulation. Women could likely get a comparable benefit by looking at whatever male anatomy they find particularly attractive (nice strong shoulders for me personally). I agree on the thing about us looking at our own boobs. Even if I wanted to, I can’t get a decent angle without a mirror.
I would really like to hear more about these “scientists.” This sounds like the “study” I frequently cite to lady friends that said they wont get pregnant if they jump up and down naked after sex. I’m not really sure if it is true, but if it convinces them to let me stare for a while longer, I see no harm.
old study is old… False
http://www.snopes.com/humor/iftrue/breasts.asp
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/medical/a/ogling_breasts.htm
Last line: “The German research is *believed to be* published in the New England Journal of Medicine.” (Emphasis added.)
From now on, I’ll cite all scientific findings this way!
Yep, sorry, folks: it’s a hoax. Not mine. Not my friend Gerry’s. Presumably not MedGuru’s.
No shame in that. I’ve gotten many an urban hoax past my students. I’d point a finger at MedGuru for not doing its homework- it certainly doesn’t lend credibility to the rest of the site.
In response to another comment. See in context »