IT'S true: Women are objects - at least when it comes to the way men look at them.
And women are equal offenders, according to a study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology.
Sarah Gervais, assistant professor and lead author of the study, said the brains of men and women both look at men as a "whole person".
"We don’t break people down to their parts, except when it comes to women, which is really striking. Women were perceived in the same ways that objects are viewed," she said.
"It could be related to different motives. Men might be doing it because they're interested in potential mates, while women may do it more of a comparison with themselves.
"What we do know is they're both doing it."
“We always hear that women are reduced to their sexual body parts; you hear about examples in the media all the time,” Gervais said.
“This research takes it a step further and finds that this perception spills over to everyday women, too.”
The study analysed the way men and women looked at images of both genders in a bid to determine what mental processes were being applied.
The study presented standardised images of clothed men and women to 227 subjects made up of equal numbers of both genders. They were shown a sequence of images before two images settled on their screen. One was an original image, the other simply showed the groin area.
The participants had to quickly point to which image they had seen before.
Men and women were more likely to recognise body parts when shown images of women. Both were more likely to recognise the whole image when shown pictures of men.
The data showed both men and women utilised a "global" psychological process when looking at images of men. But a more "local" process kicked in when looking at women.
Local processing defines the way we think about objects such cars, computers and houses.
Global processing defines a much more inclusive and broader "wrap" of all aspects related to a person.
Every time I have an unwanted eye contact with a stranger at work or a mall or anywhere else, I
realize that he was already staring and checking me out. While I am still trying hard to figure out when men love to stare, here are few of the top reasons that justify their cheesy gesture towards almost every woman they see.
1. Men are born to stare. Most Indian men feel it's their birth right to check out almost every possible woman they see around them - walking, standing or merely passing by.
2. You have to have guts to digest this one. Some men feel women like to be stared at and
that's why the needful from their side. LOL.
3. No wonder if some men say it's a fun hobby for them to check out any and every girl. Ah, seems they really have nothing better to do in their life. LOSERS!
4. For men, women are like commodities (read sex objects) that have to be scanned from top to bottom and from all possible angles. Even if they don't dare to come near you, they ensure that they embarrass you to death just by their stares.
5. The best is when road side Romeos stare at
the most beautiful girl in the town... yeah, yeah, I understand, forbidden fruit is always more tempting.
6. Apparently, men get a high by staring at women. Well, I guess it's only to satiate their perpetually sex starved senses that they would give sleazy looks to women.
7. For some men, checking out women is like a status symbol that they love to boast in front of friends. Whether the girl in question gives a damn about it or not, who cares.
8. Giving affirmation to their manhood,
some men feel it's manly to check and stare at women.
9. At times, men would stare less at the woman but more at the guy she is hanging out with --- I assume these men only want to figure out why they do not have her as their arm-candy.
10. Women are God's most beautiful creation and some men do use this as an excuse to check women out. WOW!
11. It seems men find it hard to come to terms with girly fashion and maybe that's why they get this strong urge of continuously staring at women
to understand what she's wearing and WHY!
12. Some sleazy men have the guts to say that they stare just to reciprocate to the woman's gesture. Yeah, as if he is the only man alive on planet earth to be picked.
13. Indian men have been programmed in such a way that they can't help but stare at women. Upbringing, values, peer pressure or whatever.
14. Men certainly don't get enough of being with or around women at home (sister, mother or wife), which is why they can't help but stare at
every woman they come across.
15. Let's give some men a benefit of doubt, as they can genuinely be looking out for a prospective female partner so what better than staring can help.