Dangerous Beauty

We’ve all seen or had it happen to us: A beautiful man or woman walks by and distracted by the glorious daydream made reality passing by we hear a Bam! and find ourselves flat on the ground. But maybe these accidents are not just the result of clumsiness, bad luck, or being distracted. It could be evolution at work. Recently, scientists at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia observed the actions of male skateboarders while they were being watched by both male and female observers, and found that men become more accident-prone while being observed by a beautiful woman.

Crash into My Heart!

For anyone who has spent time in Barcelona’s MACBA plaza, this should come as no surprise. An informal survey of friends turns up more than a few juicy and painful anecdotes. Falling flat one’s face seems to be a very accepted male mating strategy. Apparently, performing dangerous tricks makes you cool, and everyone knows that the cool guy gets the girl. And what if you fall? One reports being crashed into-accidentally- by a skater. “I was looking at my bike brakes to see if they were broken. They were. The skater realized he hadn’t broken any bones, asked if I was okay, and helpfully invited me back to his place, where he apparently had all the tools I needed to fix my bike.” The classic “Hi, I just fell flat on my face in front of you, what’s your name?” while not ensuring everlasting romance, can often be an effective pick-up line.

The reasoning behind this, according to scientists, is a surge of the male hormone testosterone when they see a beautiful woman. Testosterone makes men less cautious, more aggressive and more prone to take risks. More risk-taking behaviour means they have more chances to stand out from the crowd as a winner or tough guy, as well as more accidents. This sexual display strategy is aimed at impressing a potential mate, as it signals strength, fitness, and daring. And it can also create a chance to break the ice. If they are lucky enough to crash in front of a sympathetic observer, she might just ask if they are okay. And if they crash into a nice passer-by? They’ve struck gold! They have a perfect chance to show their highly developed Caveman 2.0 social skills, and ask her out on a date after checking to make sure no one has broken any bones, and helping her to pick up any books or packages she might have been carrying.

In the Safe Zone

Perhaps while reading this, you have heaved a sigh of dismay. “Thousands of years of human existence, and men still haven’t figured out that we just aren’t that impressed by watching them fall down.” Not to worry: In a cosmopolitan cultural centre like Barcelona, opportunities to find a more evolved type of human animal abound: museums, beaches, bars, classes, flea markets or concerts are all good bets. Rent stylish apartments in Barcelona, check out the Sunday morning antique book fair in the centric San Antoni neighbourhood, and just see what treasures you find to take home with you!

Tags: being distracted, dangerous beauty, distracted easily, get distracted, getting distracted