Oral Sex Study: Can Cunnilingus Ward Off Infidelity?

According to a recently published study, one of the reasons men perform oral sex on female partners may be to minimize the risk of infidelity.

The study, published late last month in the Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, sought to discover why men perform oral sex on women, since the act does not lead directly to reproduction.

After surveying 243 adult men in heterosexual relationships, the researchers deduced that cunnilingus is used to discourage women from cheating, a theory the authors refer to as a "mate-retention strategy."

The research suggests that men perform oral sex on their female partners in order "to minimize the risk of their partner’s infidelity by increasing her relationship satisfaction."

The study has garnered some negative reactions across the web: An article on The Gloss wondered why the researchers aren't "questioning the evolutionary advantage of oral sex for men? Isn’t that purposeless, too?" And Handbag.com writer Kate Gilbert pointed out that perhaps men perform oral sex because it's pleasurable: "Sorry science guys -- sometimes things are just meant for fun."

Share your thoughts on this unusual study in the comments below.

Read Divorce Findings Of 2012

Couples Who Share Housework Are More Likely To Divorce:

Splitting chores could lead to divorce? According to a Norwegian study released in August 2012,

the divorce rate among couples who divvy up household chores is roughly 50 percent higher than for those in which the wife handles the housework.

So does that mean couples shouldn't split the chores equally? Not necessarily. Researchers say that the higher divorce rate has more to do with "modern" values and attitudes -- such as viewing marriage as less sacred -- rather than a cause-and-effect relationship.

Divorce Could Be In A Woman's Genes:

In February 2012, Swedish scientists released a study suggesting that a specific gene may explain why some women have a hard time committing, or staying committed, should they marry.

The researchers found that women who possessed a variation of the oxytocin receptor gene known as A-allele were less likely to get married due to difficulty bonding with other people. Those with the gene who did marry were 50 percent more likely to report "marital crisis or threat of divorce."

A Close Relationship With Your In-Laws May Change Your Divorce Odds:

In November 2012, a 26-year longitudinal study released by the University of Michigan found that when a husband reported having a close relationship with his wife's parents, the couple's risk of divorce decreased by 20 percent. On the other hand, when a wife reported having a close relationship with her husband's parents, the couple's risk of divorce increased by 20 percent. 

Why the difference? Researcher Terry Orbuch told the Wall Street Journal that she believes that many wives eventually view their in-laws' input as meddlesome, while husbands tend to take their in-laws' actions less personally.

Men Are More Likely Than Women To Turn To Drinking After A Split:

A University of Cincinnati study presented in August 2012 found that men are more likely than women to turn to drinking after divorce.

"Marriage and divorce have different consequences for men's and women's alcohol use," study author Corinne Reczek told Health Day. "For men, it's tempered by being married and exacerbated by being divorced." Additionally, the study suggested that married women drink more than their divorced or widowed friends -- partly because they lived with men who had higher levels of alcohol use.

Cold Feet Warn Of Marital Trouble Ahead:

Don't ignore those pre-wedding jitters: they may warn of marital trouble ahead, according to a UCLA study published in the Journal of Family Psychology in September 2012. Researchers asked 232 newlyweds in their first marriages whether they had "ever been uncertain or hesitant about getting married" after they got engaged. The research team followed up with the couples every six months for the first four years of their marriages.

In a HuffPost blog, one of the researchers, Justin Lavner, explained that premarital doubts predicted divorce rates four years later, especially when the doubtful partner was the wife. According to Lavner, "19 percent of couples in which wives had doubts were divorced four years later, but only 8 percent of couples in which wives did not have doubts ended up divorced. Husbands' doubts did not significantly predict divorce, although divorce rates were somewhat higher among husbands with doubts (14 percent) than husbands without doubts (9 percent)."

  
Men Who Cheat Are More Likely To Have Heart Attacks:

According to a study released in May 2012 by the University of Florence, “sudden coital death” is more common when a man is engaging in extramarital sex in an unfamiliar setting than when he's having sex with his spouse at home.

The researchers found that infidelity outside the home was associated with "a higher risk of major cardiovascular event," including fatal heart attacks.

“Extra-martial sex may be hazardous and stressful because the lover is often younger than the primary partner and probably sex occurs more often following excessive drinking and/or eating," researcher Dr. Alessandra Fisher told the Daily Mail. “It is possible that a secret sexual encounter in an unfamiliar setting may significantly increase blood pressure and heart rate, leading to increased oxygen demand.”

Moving In Before Marriage No Longer Predicts Divorce:

Living together before marriage is no longer a strong predictor of divorce, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in early 2012.

As part of a marriage survey of 22,000 men and women, researchers found that those who were engaged and living together before the wedding were about as likely to have marriages that lasted 15 years as couples who hadn't cohabited.

What about couples who moved in together but weren't engaged? The study found their marriages were less likely to survive to the 10- and 15-year mark.

Divorce Is Too Expensive For The Poorest Americans:

More couples are opting for long-term marital separations because they cannot afford to divorce, according to a study conducted by Ohio State University that was published in August 2012.

Researchers surveyed 7,272 people between 1979 and 2008. Most people in the study who separated from a spouse reported getting a divorce within three years of separating. But 15 percent of people who separated did not get a divorce within the first 10 years because it was too costly, especially when children were involved.

Divorce Hurts Health More At Earlier Ages:

Divorce at a younger age hurts people’s health more than divorce later in life, according to a Michigan State University study released in January 2012.

Sociologist Hui "Cathy" Liu looked at self-reported health information of 1,282 participants over the last 15 years, analyzing the difference in well-being between those who remained married over the course of the study and those who divorced. Among the divorced, Liu found that those who split at a younger age tended to have more health issues than those who divorced later in life.

Liu said the findings suggested older people have more coping skills to deal with the stress of divorce.

Women Close To Divorcing Tend To Work More Hours:

In November 2012, the European Economic Review released a study that revealed women who clock an extra 12 minutes per week face a 1 percent increase in the risk of a marital breakdown.

Why? Lead researcher Berkay Ozcan, PhD, explained that working more hours is a "form of insurance" for women when their marriage is on the rocks. The study also found that there is no strong evidence to suggest men do the same when divorce seems likely.

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