Can We Determine Sexual Preference at a Glance?

It is a power that many individuals feel that they have, the “Gaydar” made famous by Ellen DeGeneres in her sitcom – but is it really possible to guess sexual orientation at a glance?

Certainly the ability to accurately predict another person’s sexual preference simply through visual means is a talent that would be found useful by many men and women in the modern world. Those searching for a partner would be well served by a visual indicator that allow them to separate possible candidates from those who would not be well suited.

Predicting Sexuality From Looks Alone

And now a study printed in the ‘Journal of Experimental Social Psychology’ would seem to indicate that most individuals have at least some powers of perception that allow them to identify sexual orientation. The research, carried out by Nalini Amabady, pioneer of the “thin slicing” theory, which holds that humans are capable of accurately judging strangers in an extremely short timeframe, set out to ascertain whether participants could accurately categorize men according to their sexuality by simply looking at photographs.

Straight or Gay

Participants were shown pictures of men selected from dating sites and Facebook profiles for periods of time ranging from 33 milliseconds to 10 seconds and then asked to determine if the model was straight or gay. The results indicated that 50 milliseconds was sufficient time for an individual to make a judgment on the sexuality of another person.

There is nothing earth shattering in these results, which saw more than four in ten guesses being incorrect; however, the 57 percent accuracy rate for recognizing the gay men in the photographs is certainly higher than would be expected to occur by chance, and the absence of any facial hair, jewelry or accessories such as eye glasses meant that participants were basing their judgments on faces alone.

Features Clue to Sexual Orientation?

Thus while none of the participants demonstrated complete accuracy every time they viewed a photo, it would seem that there are certainly some indicators of sexuality in the passive male face.

It would appear that the focus of future research will be in discovering what factors the correct answers were based upon. While in a real life situation certain social and behavioral factors may lead to an assumption about a person’s sexuality, these pictures were of passive faced men with no additional information supplied. So, is it possible there are recognizable biological differences between gay and straight men that can be perceived at a subconscious level? If the arguments for sexual preference being genetically proscribed are to be believed then certainly it would seem a viable possibility; if sexuality is a characteristic carried in our genes then it is surely plausible that the clues are present in our features. Only further research will reveal the truth.

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Surprising Dangers of Phthalate

Phthalates have been in use for years in a variety of products throughout the world but have now gradually begun to be eliminated as many of their ingredients are now known to cause health issues in certain individuals due to toxic components.
Phthalates are primarily used as plasticizers, substances added to plastics that increase their flexibility, directly affecting their durability and longevity. Common usage of phthalates can be seen in gelling agents, waxes, paints, modeling clay, printing inks, caulks, adhesives, shower curtains, vinyl upholstery, and food wrappers, just to name a few. However, one of the most common usages of phthalates is as a part of the coating for pharmaceutical pills and nutritional supplements.

Perhaps the most controversial study in recent years was published in the November 2009 version of the International Journal of Andrology, which suggests that “prenatal exposure to anti-androgenic phthalates may be associated with less male-typical behavior in boys...and…that these ubiquitous environmental chemicals have the potential to alter the androgen-responsible brain development in humans.” This study has prompted a flurry of attention within the medical community since the study was first undertaken at the University of Rochester.

The study itself has many individuals understandably concerned, not the least of which is due to the potentially ground-breaking significance of the findings with respect to environmental factors associated with homosexuality. As has been well-documented, homosexual tendencies are generally recognized at a very early age, well before the onset of puberty and thus are most commonly recognized to be of genetic origin as opposed to a simple lifestyle ‘choice’. The University of Rochester research suggests that the feminization process occurs during pregnancy when phthalate exposure may cause hormonal disruptions in the unborn child, with male children being feminized by a disruption in the testosterone levels. Additionally, the study also showed a strong correlation between the types of toys that male children played with and the levels of phthalates their mothers had been exposed to during pregnancy. The research discovered that male children exposed to higher levels of phthalates tended to avoid playing with cars, trains, or toy guns, for example, instead preferring more feminine activities such as playing house, tea parties, and more feminine toys such as dolls.

It is crucial to note that this research is fairly one-sided at best. While there can be no doubt about certain side effects of phthalates and their links to obesity and metabolic interference, the question as to whether these substances are able to influence a male child’s hormonal patterns has yet to be determined with any sort of clarity. As with many research studies, substantial additional work is required prior to establishing a definitive correlation with respect to phthalates and sexual preference. In any event, due to the inherent dangers that have been proven, eliminating or reducing the use of or exposure to phthalates is a wise precaution for everyone, male or female.

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