a new study about momus and his huge penis

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Creativity linked to active sex lives
Artists, poets have twice as many sexual partners, researchers find

LONDON - Pablo Picasso, Lord Byron and Dylan Thomas had more in common than simple creativity. They also had active sex lives, which researchers said on Wednesday was no coincidence.
Professional artists and poets have about twice as many partners as other people, British psychologists have found.
Their creativity seems to act like a sexual magnet.
But Dr. Daniel Nettle, a psychologist at Newcastle University’s School of Biology, said it is a double-edge sword.
“Poets and artists have more sexual partners but they also have high rates of depression,” he told Reuters.
Nettle and his colleague Helen Clegg questioned 425 British men and women, including professional artists, poets and schizophrenic patients, about their creative activity, sexual encounters and mental health characteristics.
Although creative people have long been associated with active sex lives, the researchers believe their study is the first to back it up with research.
They found that professional artists and poets had between 4 and 10 sexual partners, while less creative people had an average of three.
“We found it in both the men and women which was quite a surprise to us,” said Nettle, who reported the finding in the journal “The Proceedings of the Royal Society (B).”
The study also showed that the average number of sexual partners increased as creative output went up. What the artists produce draws attention to them, which seems to enhance their sexual allure.

“It could be that very creative types lead a bohemian lifestyle and tend to act more on sexual impulses and opportunities, often purely for experience’s sake, than the average person would,” said Nettle.
The active sex lives of artists is often tolerated, even by long-term partners who are less likely to expect loyalty and fidelity from them, according to the researchers.
Picasso, Byron and Thomas were famous for their paintings and poetry and for their attraction to women.

“They illustrate some of the phenomena quite well — lots of acclaim and lots of women,” said Nettle.

― like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

jealous scientist in wanting to be Vincent Van Gough shokkahj.

― mark grout (mark grout), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:42 (twenty years ago)

"They found that professional artists and poets had between 4 and 10 sexual partners, while less creative people had an average of three"

Well, I'm obviously highly creative...or a slut.....

― smee (smee), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:50 (twenty years ago)

Gah, why did you have to give this thread such an AWFUL title, JBR? because it is actually a quite interesting topic.

― Control your ponies, children! (kate), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:52 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, 4 to 10 sounds average, not high.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

haha no it isn't. everyone knows artists are SLUTS. (xpost)

― like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:53 (twenty years ago)

I don't buy the premise of this study at all because of the gigantic sociological component that it's ignoring; western society practically demands hedonism from its creative types otherwise they're ruining the vicarious experience.

― Dan (Fame = More Sex) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:57 (twenty years ago)

i bet that happens a lot in nonwestern cultures too. especially with males.

― like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:58 (twenty years ago)

I was going to start a thread on this, good job I'm slightly curious about momus's penis or we would've had a duplicate on our hands.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 14:58 (twenty years ago)

You could probably run this exact same study but substitute politicians for artists and get strikingly similar results.

― Dan (Power And Prestige = More Sex) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:00 (twenty years ago)

Mr. Perry, please tell me more about this "vicarious experience."

― Special Agent Dale Koopa (orion), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:01 (twenty years ago)

or anyone whose job it is to be extroverted.

― like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:01 (twenty years ago)

new study about the pope and his catholicism

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:04 (twenty years ago)

Um anyway, my point. Anyone who is up there in the limelight is going to get scores of partners in the sack aren't they? What about footballers these days who are placed on pedestals, I'll bet they have just as many bed-fellows if not more.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:09 (twenty years ago)

most 'creatives' aren't in the spotlight though -- i don't think this was just about yer tracey emins and whatnot.

― Theorry Henry (Enrique), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:11 (twenty years ago)

It just reduces down to more status = more and varied sex life. Anyone who actually makes a decent living from being creative is automatically high status. I'll bet the creative people who are busy writing their screenplay at night while being accountant by day don't necessarily have more sexual partners.

― jz, Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:17 (twenty years ago)

most 'creatives' aren't in the spotlight though

even if they're not, they deliberately put their body of work in the spotlight. no matter how shy you think you are, it takes a certain degree of extroversion to do that.

― like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:18 (twenty years ago)

I'll bet the creative people who are busy writing their screenplay at night while being accountant by day don't necessarily have more sexual partners.

I reckon I fall into this class, and I can confirm your statement to be true.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:21 (twenty years ago)

Honestly, hedonism what keeps me from following all my ideas through.

― 'you' vs. 'radio gnome invisible 3' FITE (ex machina), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

Mr Perry, please tell me more about your gigantic sociological component

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

Damn, I knew there was a reason why my paintings weren't selling.

― jel -- (jel), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 15:36 (twenty years ago)

"They found that professional artists and poets had between 4 and 10 sexual partners, while less creative people had an average of three."

I don't get it.
4 to 10 a week or a month or what?

― Lisa Lipstick, Wednesday, 30 November 2005 20:19 (twenty years ago)

Funny, while MSNBC quotes Dr Daniel Nettle as saying it's a double-edged sword because the creatives have lots of sex but also high rates of depression, the BBC, reporting the same story, has Dr Nettle saying that it's the tolerant, longsuffering significant other who's likely to suffer from depression:

"A person with them is likely to be prone to the shadows of full-blown mental illness such as depression and suicidal thoughts."

― Momus (Momus), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

Momus, have I apologized recently for every online altercation we've ever had? Because I really, truly am sorry.

― Dan (Days Of Yore) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 20:46 (twenty years ago)

Come again, Dan?

― Momus (Momus), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 20:50 (twenty years ago)

Threads like the stupid "Kill Bill" threads where I acted like an ass for no real reason. (Or at least I remember acting like an ass.)

― Dan (Come Back And Save ILE From Idiots, Plz) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 20:52 (twenty years ago)

Good heavens, man, pull yourself together!

― Momus (Momus), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 20:53 (twenty years ago)

I also acted like an ass! It's a tradition here!

― Momus (Momus), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 20:53 (twenty years ago)

I am very tempted to post the lyrics to "Tradition" from Fiddler On The Roof now.

― Dan (Awesome) Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 20:55 (twenty years ago)

I'll supply the animated jew gifs!

― 'you' vs. 'radio gnome invisible 3' FITE (ex machina), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 21:03 (twenty years ago)

Is this the little dong I carrrrried?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

This research is the kind of thing they like to present in 'Poor Experimental Logic 101' type classes (as is the alleged research linking madness and creativity) because, as Dan pointed out, there are so many other potential explanations and confounding variables (confound those variables!). My first thought was - oh look, they've picked only famous and successful artists, as usual. Of course famous, successful artists get more sexual partners. Famous, successful people in general get more of anything they want.

If you study artists not successful in their lifetimes, like Van Gogh or Blake, it may well lead to different conclusions.

― moley, Wednesday, 30 November 2005 21:05 (twenty years ago)

I'd like to know what Momus's one-eyed trouser snake thinks.

― moley, Wednesday, 30 November 2005 21:06 (twenty years ago)

Isn't it awfully nice to have a penis,
Isn't it frightfully good to have a dong?
It's swell to have a stiffy,
It's divine to own a dick,
From the tiniest little tadger,
To the world's biggest prick.

So three cheers for your Will or John Thomas,
Hooray for your one-eyed trouser snake,
Your piece of pork, your wife's best friend,
Your percy or your cock,
You can wrap it up in ribbons,
You can slip it in your sock,
But don't take it out in public,
or they will stick you in the dock,
And you won't come back.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 21:08 (twenty years ago)

Funny, I am listening to "Detachable Penis" to practice mixing it with a Boredoms song for my show on the 14th!

― 'you' vs. 'radio gnome invisible 3' FITE (ex machina), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 21:10 (twenty years ago)

Ha ha and it talks about 2nd Ave and St. Marks.

― 'you' vs. 'radio gnome invisible 3' FITE (ex machina), Wednesday, 30 November 2005 21:11 (twenty years ago)

Blimey, one of my very first gigs was supporting King Missile. We got them all to participate in the "eating loads of sugar and bouncing up and down excitedly backstage" pre-gig ritual.

But er, yeah. Being a Bloomsbury Wife triggered the worst depression I've ever had in my life, so being the Creative Person again is much better. Hasn't done anything for my sex life, though, ho ho. :-/

― Control your ponies, children! (kate), Thursday, 1 December 2005 12:05 (twenty years ago)

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