Sexual arousal can lead to 'tunnel vision', study warns

"Experts discovered that being intensely attracted to your date can lead to 'tunnel vision' that makes it more difficult to recognise when they're just not that into you. And it could help explain why someone you thought was a perfect match suddenly ended things. 'Sexual arousal made participants significantly more likely to interpret ambiguous interactions optimistically,' lead author Gurit Birnbaum, a psychology professor from Reichman University, said."

"She warned that this phenomenon could mean people are 'missing the signs' that someone is not romantically interested - because they become blind to rejection cues. For the study, the researchers asked one group of participants to watch a sexual video before chatting online with someone who was asked to convey mixed signals. Another group watched a non-sexual video, then engaged in the same kind of conversation."

"Analysis revealed those who watched the sexual video were more likely to find their chat partner desirable and perceive them as romantically interested. The only exception to this effect was when the chat partner provided clear and unmistakable signs of rejection - in which case participants accurately recognised a lack of romantic interest. 'Sexual arousal distorts perception only when the situation leaves room for hope,' Professor Birnbaum said."

"'It can help us push past the fear of rejection by tilting perception in a more hopeful direction.' The findings echo the predominant theme of the hit"

Sexual arousal can create tunnel vision that reduces the ability to recognize when a partner is not romantically interested. Intense attraction increases perceived desirability and encourages optimistic interpretations of ambiguous interactions. People may interpret uncertainty as interest and overlook rejection cues, which can explain why relationships end unexpectedly after seeming like a perfect match. In a study, participants who watched a sexual video before an online chat rated their partner as more desirable and more interested than participants who watched a non-sexual video. When the partner showed clear, unmistakable rejection, participants recognized the lack of romantic interest. Distortion occurs mainly when there is room for hope.

Read at Mail Online