I’m sharing these things you didn’t know about men from what I learned in an interesting conversation with the men in my family on Christmas Day. These men range in age from 17 (a step cousin) to 72 (my father) so it was a decent cross section of the male population. Let’s start by saying that this article generalizes men in some ways. Before going into the things you didn’t know about men, let’s cover the fact that all men are different. Some men have soft skin, some men will notice your hair, and some men have lovely handwriting. The things on this post are things you may not know about men, and by knowing them you may better understand why men generally do what they do. Here are 7 things you didn’t know about men according to my extended family.
Trying not to move too far into the domain of Sigmund Freud and keeping it strictly Darwin, men are competitive because they have to be when finding a mate. In the animal kingdom the more competitive the male is, then the higher his chances of mating. Such instincts still exist in civilized humans and it is unavoidable in many cases.
They move around in order to find the best temperature for keeping sperm alive. They do shift and spin without any input and without any control from the conscious mind. Over time, a man’s testicles find their way into uncomfortable positions, especially if a man is sat in one position for quite a while, and so a man will naturally adjust himself to make himself more comfortable.
This is a tough one to describe if you do not have a lot of male friends. You may be walking with a male friend that works in a double-glazing factory, and he may notice how your shed window is not sealed correctly. Walk with one that works in a builder's yard, and he may comment on how your paving slabs are poorly manufactured because they allow water to pool on top. Men are not simple animals, but the things they notice do tend to revolve around their interests. He may not notice your hair because it is not something he dedicates a lot of his time towards thinking about. It doesn’t mean he cares for you any less. Just as how if you overstuffed one side of your bra it doesn’t mean he cares for you more because he notices you have one boob bigger than the other.
Not all men talk down to women, nor do all men talk about women in negative terms when around other men, but it does happen a lot because of something called cognitive dissonance. A man is often frequently rejected by women, and one psychological defense mechanism is to pick faults with them and think less of them. After all, what is so hurtful about being rejected by a person you don’t want?
If sex is all you are selling, then sex is all he will buy (not literally hopefully). You cannot keep having sex with a man and hope it will make him fall in love with you because it won’t. He may start having more affection for you, in some cases--but he will not fall in love with you in the true sense of the word. Also, once he has had the sex he has less incentive to pursue you since he was only pursuing you to get sex in the first place.
The effect of testosterone on the libido is one of the biggest things you didn't know about men until now. Tests using testosterone cream on women have proven that testosterone is severely underestimated by women. Many women that try testosterone cream claim they have never been so aroused--with many claiming they would have sex with the first person that walked in the room. On the flip side, men severely underestimate the psychological effect that menstruation-related hormones have on women, so it is a two-way street.
If a woman’s skin were a peach, a man’s would be a pineapple. It is why men are seemingly able to tolerate being dirty and grimy for longer. Women have softer and more sensitive skin and are less able to tolerate dirt and grime. Yet for some reason, a woman is better able to tolerate (and enjoy) a very hot bath where men are not.
I certainly learned some new things from listening to the various men in my life. Some not so earth shattering and some an interesting perspective, reached by general consensus. What do you think?