Is Manspreading Sexy? One Study Says It May Help Land You A Date
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- If you're a New Yorker, it may be a familiar sight — a man sitting low in a subway seat, with his legs spread out so far apart that it elicits an angry stare (or two) from fellow commuters trying to find a seat on a congested rush-hour train.
The practice is called "manspreading," and the phenomenon has warranted some recent attention from the Internet community and even inspired a campaign by the MTA to try to curb the trend on New York City subways.
But now, one study suggests the pose -- and similarly open postures --may actually help land you a date.
According to the study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people are more attracted to those who "display their bodies expansively," and open poses or postures "increases romantic desirability," in speed-dating situations.
Tanya Vacharkulksemsuk, of the University of California, Berkeley, tested the theory in two ways. First, she collected responses from 144 speed-date videos; finding that open postures nearly doubled the chance of a positive response, the Atlantic reported.
Vacharkulksemsuk also tested the appeal of men and women who posted photos in various "open" and "closed" positions on a dating website.
The study found that women respond more favorably to open postures than men do. Eighty-seven percent of 'yeses' received by men were on photos of them displayed in an open position. Only 53 percent of women received a similar positive response.
The study also showed that open postures convey a sense of perceived dominance and openness that may be attractive in a potential partner across both genders.
"These findings indicate that in modern-day dating contexts, in which initial attraction often is determined by a rapid decision following a brief interaction or seeing a photograph, displays of expansive posture increase one's chances of initial romantic success," Vacharkulksemsuk wrote.
So, some people may find the openness of manspreading attractive. Maybe just don't tell that to the person sitting next to you on your commute home.
