Husky voice most sexy, say scientists
Women like Marilyn Monroe have been found to have the most attractive voices, with a high-pitched but breathy quality, according to research. The balance has been associated with a “small body size”, making women attractive but not threatening. Men, on the other hand, were found to be most appealing when they had deep, husky voices.
“What we found is that for males listening to females, they preferred the voice to be high-pitched — although not too high — and as breathy as possible,” said Dr Yi lu. He added women appeared to look for a partner who was physically large but not aggressive. “Females don’t like a male who is totally aggressive,” he said.
Singles feel lonely at Church
A new study of churchgoers found many Christians feel isolated within their own communities, due to attitudes towards single people. Four out of ten single worshippers reported feeling “inadequate or ignored”, with more than a third claiming they were treated differently to those who appeared happily married. More than 40 per cent of those surveyed said their church “did not know what to do with them”. The study, of 2,754 people using dating website Christian Connection, found 37 per cent did not feel “treated as family members”. Single women were often treated as a “threat to couples”, the research found, with other saying they felt more valued outside the church than within. David Pullinger, the author who analysed the data, told The Independent newspaper the findings were a “time bomb” for the church.
Sleep loss damages male fertility
Scientists found that young men who suffered disturbed sleep had sperm counts that were more than a quarter lower than those who slept more. Those who suffered disturbed sleep with less than six hours a night also had lower sperm quality and smaller testicles. It is thought that poor sleep interferes with the body’s ability to produce sperm.
Tina Kold Jensen, who led the study at the University of Southern Denmark, said: “This appears to be the first study to find associations between sleep disturbances and semen quality.” The researchers added that they hope to examine whether restoring normal sleep patterns helped to improve fertility in men. Experts believe the ideal amount of rest is between seven and eight hours a night.