The Psychology Of Condom Art
Legends Rubbers, a small Australian company that sells its condoms in retro-looking tins for the cool effect, made national news by signing up controversial sex-positive artist Hazel Dooney to design some tins for them. It's not the first time prophylactics have collided with the art world; Keith Haring himself "considered ideas for designing condoms," and condoms are a staple medium for a certain breed of working artist. Sex-themed art as a marketing tool seems like a natural fit. And now, a new psychological study confirms its wisdom. Why "dirty thoughts" make men buy things—and a few of Dooney's (racy) past works—after the jump.
According to a recent study detailed in Psychology Today, anything that can push men's minds into the realm of sex will turn them into impulsive, acquisitive beasts:
Given the choice of 15 euros now or a larger chunk of change later, men who had just handled bras valued an immediate payoff more highly than did guys who'd been stuck fondling T-shirts. The research showed the same lingerie-induced myopia when the currency was sodas or candy bars. "Sexual desire leads to a desire to consume anything rewarding," Van den Bergh hypothesizes.
Because appetites for sex, money, and food appear to mingle in the brain, it could be that shopping with any craving will send you on a spending spree.
So, would these types of things plastered on the front of a condom tin be enough to make you give up your Trojans?
