Alla hjärtans dag

Dagen till ära uppmärksammar vi fenomenet att strippor som är i den mest fruktsamma delen av menstruationscykeln får mycket mer dricks än när de har mens eller om de äter p-piller. Detta avslöjades i höstens banbrytande studie Ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by lap dancers: economic evidence for human estrus?

To see whether estrus was really “lost” during human evolution (as researchers often claim), we examined ovulatory cycle effects on tip earnings by professional lap dancers working in gentlemen's clubs. Eighteen dancers recorded their menstrual periods, work shifts, and tip earnings for 60 days on a study web site. A mixed-model analysis of 296 work shifts (representing about 5300 lap dances) showed an interaction between cycle phase and hormonal contraception use. Normally cycling participants earned about US$335 per 5-h shift during estrus, US$260 per shift during the luteal phase, and US$185 per shift during menstruation. By contrast, participants using contraceptive pills showed no estrous earnings peak. These results constitute the first direct economic evidence for the existence and importance of estrus in contemporary human females, in a real-world work setting. These results have clear implications for human evolution, sexuality, and economics.

(Via John Hawks)