The Psychology Of Makeup Sex

This quick, fun fix comes with some strings attached.

- Chandra Pepino

To say that the 1970s were a “normal” time is a pretty testable claim (read: the American sexual revolution, the birth of James Franco, the invention of lava lamps). Unsurprisingly, one of the most iconic experiments in social psychology took place in 1974: A group of men ambled through a life-threatening bridge, all because an attractive woman was waiting on the other side with her phone number. The control group, who crossed a safer bridge to get to another attractive woman, was found to be less likely to give her a call. This is the excitation-transfer theory at work: the arousal of fear brought about by the bridge had morphed into an increased yet misguided arousal for the woman. This, girls and boys, is the science behind the exasperated, half-clothed makeup sex you had last Thursday. (Sorry, Bill Nye.)