If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. And it turns out if you give a self-identifying straight person a study suggesting most people are attracted to both men and women, they might start rethinking just how “straight” they really are.
A recent study from Scientific Reports interviewed 180 students who identify as straight.
The students were divided into two groups, with each group shown a different study. Then, they asked the participants about their sexuality.
One study presented evidence that most people are attracted to both men and women. The results were attained by measuring pupil dilation as participants watched male and female adult films.
The other study was about…climate change.
Some of the students who were shown the first study no longer identified as fully heterosexual when being interviewed. They were also more likely to report same-sex experiences. One exception, the researchers note, were “politically conservative” participants. But even “regardless of political alignment, participants [in this group] reported less certainty about their sexual orientation.”
A followup study was performed with a larger and more diverse group of 460 “straight” participants from “varied walks of life.” They were split into three groups, with each receiving an article on either sexuality as a continuum, sexuality being fluid, or…climate change.
In the followup interviews, 36% of those who received the continuum article identified as not 100% straight, 20.6% of the fluidity recipients, and less than 10% of the climate changes.
And the breakdown of participants reporting being “unsure” of their heterosexuality were: 41% for the continuum group, 34.8% for the fluidity group, and 19.6% for the climate changers.
“Did we change people’s sexual orientation via our interventions? Surely not,” said lead study author Dr James Morandini in a statement.
“I think our study may have changed how people interpreted their underlying sexual feelings. This means two people with identical sexual orientations could describe their sexual orientation quite differently, depending on whether they have been exposed to fluid or continuous ways of understanding sexuality.”
cc423
A tale as old as time…
Donston
Using pupil dilation as a way to determine arousal is a stretch to say the very least. While if you’re trying to do a scientific study, basing that study on the identities people present is always gonna be flawed, as folks can present whatever identities they wish. While this “nobody is truly ‘straight” agenda that some queers have become obsessed with pushing in recent years is tired. Why do a percentage of “queers” stay so damn obsessed with “straight presenting” people and trying to figure out what “straight presenting” people are trying in the queer spectrum? And of course more Conservative people are more likely to be “straight presenting”.
I do agree that having sexual dimensions is incredibly pedestrian, Liberals are more likely to publicly attach to queerness no matter where they are in the spectrum, and that if we all talked more unabashedly about the dimensions and nuances of sexuality, gender, fluidity, preferences, psychology, the gender, sexual, affection, romantic, emotion, relationship comfort, commitment spectrum- a lot of the messiness and narcissism would dissipate. But none of this is some revelation. The only thing this half-assed “study” kinda proves is that the reasons people embrace whatever identities is varied and also that many people are easy to manipulate.
Paul
It literally says in the title of the study, How people’s perceptions of their sexual orientation may be influenced.
Den
Pupil dilation has been correlated to sexual attraction and sexual arousal in any number of empirical studies. Saying that it is a “stretch to say the least” may bolster your specific agenda, but is not at all reality based.
Cam
@Donston said….”
“Using pupil dilation as a way to determine arousal is a stretch to say the very least.”
Why is it a stretch? What study or evidence are you using to claim that this isn’t an indication of arousal?
kevininbuffalo
So this must mean that most Gay people aren’t as a Gay as they think
Bo Hamrk
My FIL [Yes I’m gay and have had experiences with all sexes and I am with my husband going on 26 years] passed 3 months ago at 85 years old. He had more wisdom that I will ever hope to achieve. He always stated that there was a gray line between sexual interpretation of where one ‘fit’ into the ‘norms’. We all fly on our own wings and therefore it is no ones business as to where we are heading for. If you want to stay with birds of a feather you better make sure you are welcomed and be faithful to the group. If not, search elsewhere for your own place in life.
Kangol2
@BoHamrk, sending my condolences on your deceased father-in-law.
cliche guevara
Nope. The research was done with straight identifying people not gay. You are assuming gay and fraught people view sexuality in a similar way but there is nothing to support that.
TheDefiler
That’s a reasonable hypothesis, but this study does not address it. t remains : So find 460 of your closest gay friends & readminister the study’s protocol. Assuming you’re comfortable being around 500 gay people…
salumbre
News at 11.
loren_1955
Kinsey was on track with his scale of 0-6 to identify heterosexuality to homosexuality. I tend to view it as a normal bell curve. At each end are a small segment of the population that is pure hetero or homo. In the middle are the majority that given no religionist pressures most would actually realize they enjoy both genders to some degree either way.
Hank31
This has been studied for 75 years. The peak is at 0 and it is a downward slope to 6. Despite a significant increase in the number of self-identified bisexuals (K 1-5) in recent years, the vast majority remain at 0, and that is true in countries with very low religiosity like Sweden and Norway. It is not a bell curve. And btw, the fact that you think that a majority’s enjoying “both genders to some degree either way” puts the peak “in the middle” shows that you don’t understand the Kinsey scale.
Cam
@Hank31
Neither do you. The highest level of being gay on the Kinsey scale is 6, not 0.
Brian
Hank is right. It’s not a bell curve. It’s not exactly a perfect line either. Nearly everyone is either completely heterosexual (K0) or only slightly bisexual (K1, K2). Then it’s a precipitous decline to K5 and K6.
Loren explained the math wrong, but I think the broader point stands: There’s a huge number of bisexuals in the world, but most of them wouldn’t use that word to describe themselves. The science could put them around K1 or K2… maybe even K3… but without a sit-down interview with educational materials, they’re likely to use the word “heterosexual.”
Dunnedin
If you do a study of a culture that has had a concerted effort to label anything not heterosexual as abnormal (and to be persecuted), then true, a distribution of sexuality will be skewed towards the cultural norm. I would think that if one were able to survey cultures where this is not true, it would tend towards a normal distribution. Julius Caesar wasn’t called every woman’s husband and every man’s wife for nothing.
Ann_Fetamine
Ugh. I hate this thinking because it’s often used against gays as well. “Everybody’s bisexual.” No we’re not. I’m lesbian, thanks. Find the male body about as attractive as a dog… maybe less. (No offense guys, I’m sure you feel the same re: women).
Goes hand-in-hand with the “you’re transphobic if you don’t date transwomen/men” thing. Homophobic af.
Bo Hamrk
It’s PC 2 B Pansexual now. Bi-Sexual has come to connotate one not being able to ‘Chose’. Pan is an attraction romantically, physically, mentally and spiritually towards other humans with respect to ALLOWING THEM to be and express their own destiny.
cliche guevara
You the study because people misinterpreted the results? That is some misplaced anger.
KyleMichelSullivan
All men are capable of gay sex, in the right place at the right time…or for the right amount of money. Orientation’s got nothing to do with it.
CityguyUSA
Especially gay ones.
scotshot
“Truly straight” wouldn’t engage in gay sex. Period. Excuses, excuses.
Bo Hamrk
Hear, hear! Many a ‘str8′ men have suc’cum’ to my advances during not only college but, all my life. Like you said [but I never paid~ Maybe once] Any guy in the correct drunk, passionate, longing for it at the time Can Be Pleasured. Confidence in each other staying quiet makes it a great turn on! Lucky to experience it before hiv/aids took hold.
cliche guevara
There is no suck thing as gay sex. There is nothing two men do that a man and a woman can’t do. It’s just sex.
mailliw110
@cliche…There is one thing that gay sex can’t do…but I’ll keep trying!
Cam
@KyleMichelSullivan
Your argument seems to be that under duress or for money people can have sex with people they aren’t attracted to. Yeah, prostitutes have been doing it for thousands of years, what’s your point?
Creamsicle
Seems like a pretty flimsy study design. I get it, sometimes you need a senior thesis with only 1 quarter to gather data.
mg10
We have a more evolved way of talking about sexuality nowadays but it doesn’t seam to affect how people live their lives. I don’t see any more gay couples shopping at Costco than I did ten years ago and it will be the same ten years from now. We’re still a small minority.
scotshot
Open your eyes Mona.
My2CentsWorth
Maybe one, or more, of the readers of this site who would jump off the Brooklyn Bridge if that what it took to be able to fulfill their fantasy and desire to get it on with Rep. Madison Cawthorn might have a chance after all.
TomG
No Kidding. The Kinsey report from the 1950’s showed that everyone is on a sliding scale of gayness, most straight people are in the 30% gay range.
LGB
Maybe with a gorgeous trans..but not a man…just my preference.
sawtellekev
An erection is an erection is an erection, no matter HOW the erection self-identifies. As I personally have wizened with decrepitude, I am neither proud nor ashamed to admit I’ve been trixie trailer trash; that is to say I have always gone “straight” to the nearest dick, and MOST of those had wives at home. I even bent one guy (wearing a wedding ring) I met in the back room of the dirty bookstore over in the open door of his mini-van back in the 90’s and the mini-van had not one but TWO baby seats in it.
mailliw110
When I was in my 20’s, around 1985, I was f ing a guy who voluntarily told me he has a son my age. I still think it was a weird thing to tell me. I did finish off though, so it’s all good!
Bo Hamrk
“is not a social or medical issue, but a human rights issue.” Every ONE has the right to live how they want in the Human vessel they were born into. See Betty Whites philosophy towards LGBTQ and people of color. THAT is her legacy. “I think this struck a chord with the LGBT community. We both also share a very strong love for animals. When you combine the two, it’s a very strong match.” ~ Betty White. And there are more…
Cam
What a shock, a bigoted and threatening environment prevents people from coming out.
whyyouaskin
Nah man, I’m PRETTY SURE I’m 100% straight. I have never, nor will never, have any attraction to any male (a male who identifies as a woman is still a male, and a woman who identifies as a male is also still a female, cus transgenderism is a mental health disorder, and so is being gay.
Bosch
Coming to Queerty to announce your heterosexuality and spread a little homophobia is far more indicative of a mental health disorder.
greekboy
Not to oversimplify, but a warm wet hole is a warm wet hole
bachy
My 2023 New Year’s resolution is to release the death grip on the DYMO Thermal Printing Label Maker – and have a little more sexy fun instead. No label required!