So So Gay
New research says that your sexual orientation can be figured out through your eyesight. Is that really possible? James Moore takes a look.
Researchers at Cornell University in America have discovered that the dilation of a person’s pupils can lead to a strong indication of whether they are gay, straight or bisexual.
By using a specialised infrared lens on 165 men and 160 women, aged between 20 and 35, researchers measured pupillary changes while subjects watched erotic videos to determine which gender they found more attractive. In most instances, a person’s stated sexual orientation matched the dilation of their pupils, which show signs of arousal.
The men and woman – who were open about their sexual orientation – were shown naked photos and videos of the gender they were not attracted to, as well as ‘boring’ videos of people talking about the weather, as a control.
Results showed that heterosexual men showed more pupil dilation after being shown sexual videos of women, and little to men, whereas heterosexual women, responded to both sexes, confirming previous research that women have more adjustability to their sexuality.
The study did however have some surprising results on men who said they were bisexual. The majority of men taking part in the study who identified as bisexual, did respond in their pupils to the sexual videos of both men and women.
Co-researcher of the study, Ritch C. Savin-Williams, said, ’We can now finally argue that a flexible sexual desire is not simply restricted to women. Some men have it, too, and it is reflected in their pupils.’ He continued, ‘In fact, not even a division into “straight”‘ “bi,” and “gay” tells the full story.’
‘Men who identify as “mostly straight” really exist both in their identity and their pupil response; they are more aroused to males than straight men, but much less so than both bisexual and gay men.’
What do you make of all this? Are eyes really a window into your soul? Tweet us at @SoSoGay and tell us if you think it’s fact or fiction.
