ALBUQUERQUE, NM — Many a joke has been made at the expense of the computer nerd, the Dungeons & Dragons gamer, the book worm, and the science geek – yet a recent study concluded that these may be among some of the best sperm producers on the planet. How can that be?
According to a study conducted by the University of New Mexico and covered by New Scientist, led by evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller, men who scored highest on intelligence tests also scored high for healthy sperm. Less intelligent men tended to have less robust sperm and suffered from poorer health.
Miller told a Harvard University audience that women might want to consider taking a man’s IQ into consideration when searching for a partner, especially one she hopes to have healthy children with.
“It’s not necessarily that the same genes are influencing sperm quality and intelligence,” he explained, opining that the two traits may influence one another thanks to a number of potential interactions that help or hinder a man’s ability to appeal to potential female mates.
Ironically, Miller’s discovery came about while he and his colleagues studied data collected in 1985 concerning 4,402 Vietnam War veterans, especially those exposed to Agent Orange. Sperm samples were collected from 425 of those study participants.
Alas for super smart men, Miller’s study is not necessarily the definitive statement on the issue, although a University of North Carolina study found that woman not only prefer intelligent men for husbands – but also for one-night stands.
Nonetheless, studies have also shown that both men and women are attracted to symmetrical faces, that handsome men produce superior sperm – and that men with fast reflexes tend to be premature ejaculators.
