I'm having a lot of trouble with the fact that males do a caressing, caring behavior is being equated with 'paying.'

It is not a rare phenomenon in nature that males have to make some 'mating effort' in order to get a female's 'permission' to mate," Hammerstein said in an interview, likening the effort to a "fee" that the male pays.

Man, we all have to make 'mating efforts.' Mine look variously like deep breaths and patient pauses, shoulder rubs, head-scratches and hair-tousles, and sometimes late-night foot-nudges. Is that "paying?"

I love these little articles but would love more reading the whole study, too. It's an interesting question: Do humans treat sex as a commodity? I've met some that do. It's sad really. Almost as sad as my sex-life. ;)

Seconding the absurdity of equating grooming behavior with an economic transaction. I clicked through expecting the story to discuss the (putative) primate practice of trading meat for sex. [To be clear, I don't know how well that practice is documented, or whether it's legitimately documented at all.]

The fact that my partner and I call each other "monkey" in no way makes me feel weird reading about monkeys paying for sex.

Oh, wait. It does. Yes.

Gumert found after a male grooms a female, the likelihood that she will engage in sexual activity with the male was about three times more than if the grooming had not occurred.

Hell, that's probably true for humans too, and few would call it "payment," as you point out.

Here's the article. This is the more interesting bit:

In support of a biological market interpretation, the amount of grooming a male performed on a female during grooming–mating interchanges was related to the current supply of females around the interaction. The results provided evidence of a grooming–mating trade that was influenced by a mating market.

It still takes a lot of interpretation to talk about this in terms of a currency transaction. Females respond to foreplay? OMG, stop the presses, monkeys are whores! When there's more competition for a male, women work harder to sleep with one? I'm shocked, shocked! Cheap hussies!

Chimpanzee sounds

(To be listened to while reading this article.)

jason's_planet, you have increased the awesomeness factor of this thread at least five-fold.

The monkey hussies sound like they LIKE it! Quick, fund the next study!

jason's_planet, you have increased the awesomeness factor of this thread at least five-fold.

(why, thank you, sir.)

My own favorites are tracks 2, 3 and 8.

Man, we all have to make 'mating efforts.'

Not me. People want to mate with me simply because of my awesomeness.

That's why you're the Monkey King, jonmc!

I'm the King o' the Swingers, yeah
The jungle VIP...

Ha! Actually today, I helped this woman in her early-50's (guess based on appearance) bring some books in. I carried two boxes at once. She said ina breathy voice 'wow, you're so strong,' and laughed at every dumb joke I made as I unpacked them. After she got paid, she grabbed my shoulder and said 'have a super weekend." A guy who I assumed was her husband was nearby, but he was wearing a fur coat and rather agressively permed hair.

Eric, my co-worker, raised an eyebrow and smirked at this whole incident. I truthfully told him that this only ever happens with 'women of a certain age.' I've decided that if I were a single man (rather than the deliriously happy marride man that I am), I would find out where women in their 50's and up hang out and become a traveling gigolo.

Even when you're taken, it's nice to know you're still noticed. Pips probably wouldn't like it if she groomed you, though.

Heh. I'm just wondering why it's only the over-50 contingent. I must reek of a pheremone only they can smell.

Cougar, by Calvin Klein

Mankini, by Giorgio Armani.

Just what I wanted! Thanks ericb!

Note to everyone else, be sure to start playing jason's_planet's soundtrack before viewing ericb's link. You'll thank me too.

Wow, Giorgio is in great shape.