The science we already knew

Lots of news sites are carrying headlines today about a new brain-imaging study that shows that men who see revealing pictures of women begin to objectify the female sex. Really? That must have been a real Eureka moment.

In a light-hearted reflection on research that seems only to confirm what we could have guessed (which, is it just me, but there seems to be a lot more of these days?), Jeremy Laurance has a funny article in The Independent today entitled, "University of the bleedin' obvious." Among the studies he mentions are:

"Fake orgasms differ from real ones"

"The rhythm method of contraception is unreliable"

"The more fit you are the longer you will live"

"Binge drinkers are more likely to fall over"

Is it that scientists have run out of new things to find out? Or is it just easier doing a study in which positive results are pretty much guaranteed?

Photo from TheScientist.com.