Fashion or comfort? When it comes to shoes, there seems to be two types of women: those who love to wear fashionable high heels and those who prefer their comfortable flats. But how do men respond to women in high heels? For the first time ever, researchers answer this question in a recent study, published in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
“Women’s heel size exerts a powerful effect on men’s behavior,” said the study’s author, Nicolas Gueguen, a behavioral science researcher, in the report.
The findings show that men’s helpfulness increased along with the height of the heels a woman was wearing. Women were different though. On the contrary, heel height had no influence on other women’s willingness to help.
Whether shoes are sexy or not, Dr. Dave Charnota, a podiatrist at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, warns that safety and comfort should come first when choosing shoes for the day. High heels can also be dangerous, he adds.
“The change in gait and unnatural position of the foot in the shoes can provide instability in the ankle and mid-foot regions, leading to injuries such as sprains, strains and fractures,” says Dr. Charnota. He recommends that women choose their shoes for the day based on how much walking they will do.”
Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Illinois is a 169-bed acute care hospital with more than 700 physicians representing 50 medical specialties. It is part of Advocate Health Care, named one of the Top Ten hospital systems in the U.S. by Thomson-Reuters. Advocate is a faith-based organization that exists to serve its communities. For more about Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, visit AdvocateHealth.com/gshp.
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About the Author
Erin Abbey is the public affairs and marketing manager at Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington where she works on getting the word out about hospital news and accomplishments as well as community events and activities. CLICK HERE to read the latest articles Erin has written for Advocate Health’s enews platform at achealthenews.com.
She is also the author of our 365 Barrington Barrington Health series focused on advice from area physicians, the latest medical news and trends toward better health in and around Barrington.
