Bad economy is good for escort business
December 3 2011
From the beginning of time, man's need to procreate and spread his seed has been documented over and over. During times of strife, famine and danger, man has succeeded in siring children, under extreme conditions that modern man can only imagine. Man's sex drive is always prevalent, and the concept that men have "needs" is a commonly accepted one. However, according to research conducted by Dr. Omri Gillath of the University of Kansas, man's urge for sex is heightened during times of danger, risk, threat and stress. He says, according to his research, that the economic downturn of the early 21st century has been a strong stimulus on man's desire to engage in sexual relationships, especially those of the short-term. With this in mind, it drives one to believe that a bad economy is good for the escort business.
Evolutionary psychology always leads man's desire for doing anything back to the need to reproduce, spread his genes and to leave behind heirs or descendants. Survival of the fittest seemed to spur man's urges, and he reproduced with the mindset that the more children he sired, the more chances he would have of some of them surviving. From the times of personal danger being a very real possibility for man, human beings have evolved into a civilization where the dangers we face each day are not usually for our lives, but for our lifestyles. In an economy such as this one, men have become ruined in stock market downturns, lost their retirement funds and become unemployed and, perhaps, unable to provide for their families. These changes in one's world can be deemed as "dangers" and spur a man to act on urges for the short-term benefit, instead of investing in long-term options. Affairs, visits with escorts and meaningless rendezvous with strangers occur more often during times of economic hardship, than when a man is doing well financially.
The study conducted by Gillath very specifically studied how financial distress and a tough economy can cause men to have more incidents where they act on sexual urges. He says, "Men are likely to pursue short-term mating strategies when faced with threatening environments, according to the sexual selection theory based on evolutionary psychology". His experiments compared how men who are facing their own deaths react to sexual pictures than those who are simply thinking about dental pain respond to the same photos. The men who were considering their own mortality reacted with higher heart rates, faster pulses and more sexual energy. Dr. Gillath explains that men who are facing uncertainty and stress often opt for short-term solutions; while men who are in stable environments choose long-term relationships.
Gillath's theory can be proven by examining the birth rates of poorer, less developed nations compared to richer, developed countries. In 2009, sub-Saharan African countries reported that women had approximately 5.3 children each during their child-bearing years, compared to 1.7 children born to women in higher-incomed nations, such as the United States and Canada. Reports of sexually-transmitted disease and unprotected sex are higher in less-developed nations, which lead one to believe that men are engaging in sexual relationships with more women.
It isn't only men in poorer nations who are having a lot of sex with different women. One can look at the scandals and stories stemming from Wall Street executives and Washington politicians being caught with hookers, high-end escorts and mistresses. While these men may not be faced with "danger" in the sense they may lose their lives, they are faced with stress, risk and threats to their lifestyles and reputations. One may argue that the way in which these powerful men lead their lives cause them to crave the risks involved with seeing escorts. It's a power rush, a boost to their self-esteem and proof that they are above the law and society's ideals. The more times they get away with their illicit behavior, the more addicting the behavior becomes.
Another way to look at the theory that an economic downturn is good for the escort business is that it gives men something they can control. Their pocketbooks may be hurting and they may have lost their jobs, but their relationship with an escort is one where they are in control and have the power. Being in control is an essential aspect to maintaining one's self esteem. It is of little surprise that men find relationships with escorts and mistresses very desirable, especially when everything else seems to be spiraling out of their hands.
Power has much the same influence on man's sexual desires, too. King Henry the VIII sired 10 legitimate children and several illegitimate children with his six wives and many mistresses during his rule in the early 1500s. Governor Elliot Spitzer left office after his dalliances with high-end escorts. Stories of infidelity, prostitution and adultery from the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Letterman, Hugh Grant and Tiger Woods (among many others) reveal how the rush of engaging in forbidden sexual encounters outweighs the potential risks.
Over and over, again, men engage mistresses or escorts. This behavior seems to be inherently programmed in man's psyche. When times get tough, the tough, apparently, get busy!
