Lab Rats in Polyester Pants: What Science Says about Your Sex Life

If you enjoy squirming while reading for leisure, you should check out Mary Roach's book Bonk. As the title suggests, it's about sex. More particularly, it's about the science of learning about sex. And while I can say it's a real page turner, it's also one of those books that leaves you turning the pages quickly while on the train, lest the pleasant looking elderly gentleman sitting next to you sees the bold headline "Dating the Penis Camera."

But here's the thing about this book: it's full of information you don't know. Most of what we know about sex we learn from doing - and let's be real: most of us can't even provide accurate names for all the body parts.

Science didn't have much in the way of answers until a few decades ago. And now, thanks to all sorts of intrusive measures that I don't even want to think about, we know more than ever and some of what we know is really interesting stuff.

Wade through the horror stories of experimentation gone wrong (he put a toothbrush where?) and the frightening-sounding names given on patent applications, and you'll find occasional gems worth repeating (though only in very select company).

Not heeding my own advice to select your company with caution ... here are some of the fascinating tidbits from Bonk.

• Perhaps you've heard that for women, emotional arousal is what leads to physical arousal. Here's the proof: park a woman in front of an erotic video to which she feels no emotional connection, and her body will immediately be physically aroused but (here's the kicker) she will be completely unaware of it. Until her emotions kick in, she has no idea her body is sending green lights. Men - use this information for good and not for evil. Remember, women are turned on by men who do dishes. (More on that at this previous post.)

• Contrary to what you may have heard, there's no scientific proof that a female orgasm aids in conception. Women who are trying to get pregnant - I give you full permission to hide this fact from your husbands.
  

• Apparently cave women were randy little creatures. Scientists think the shape of the penis tip served the evolutionarily beneficial purpose of pulling another man's semen from the woman's vagina.
  

• Viagra is a serious improvement over previous treatments for erectile dysfunction. The little blue pill sounds much better than, say, surgical implantation of a goat's sex glands, or eating tiger penis soup ($320 a serving, for the record).

• Oh, and the lab rats: one researcher dressed rats in pants of assorted materials for over a year and observed their sex lives. Rats who wore polyester or poly-blend materials had sex significantly less often than rats who wore cotton or wool. So ... keep that in mind as you put on your jammies tonight.

There you have it - mostly worthless knowledge from Bonk. If you've made it this far, you might love the book. Check it out.