# Chemistry or the Highest Bidder? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 13, 2001, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288 "2001-10-13T19:38:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ssabmr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@ssabmr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssabmr)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/1 "2001-10-13T19:38:59Z")
A dear friend is being pursued by an insatiable wealthy woman. She wants him and offers money for monogamous companionship. He has no other income at this point, but monogamy is not his nature. He is just as insatiable for youth and beauty. He’s in his mid-fifties. He yo-yos with the heiress, and fully admits, that if not for her money, he’d have no interest in her. Yet his need for security is overwhelming. The heiress, by the way, is beautiful, has a gorgeous body, is intelligent and sensitive. Do you think this man could benefit from counseling? He says it all boils down to chemistry, and he doesn’t have it with her. Is chemistry really worth the sacrifice?? ---
**Author:** ![grenadier1974](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@grenadier1974](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grenadier1974)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/2 "2001-10-13T19:44:32Z")
Based on what you have told us I would say that homie is terminally fu\*\*ed in the head. Don’t know if this is a great debate, maybe we should ask what evolutionary role “chemistry” plays in our breeding habits. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/3 "2001-10-13T19:48:22Z")
To paraphrase Donna Summer: _Oooooh, I’d learn to love ya, baby._ Really though, if the guy just doesn’t ‘click’ with her, her money and gorgeousity might not be enough to make him happy. In fact, he could be miserable. 'Course, giving it the old college try might just be worth a shot. ---
**Author:** ![grenadier1974](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@grenadier1974](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grenadier1974)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/4 "2001-10-13T20:00:10Z")
Based on what you have told us I would say that homie is terminally fu\*\*ed in the head. Don’t know if this is a great debate, maybe we should ask what evolutionary role “chemistry” plays in our breeding habits. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/5 "2001-10-13T21:16:34Z")
Lemme repeat what I wrote in the _other_ “Chemistry or the Highest Bidder” thread (do we need 2 threads?): On a recent TV documentary (perhaps one of the episodes of the _Evolution_ miniseries on PBS), they performed an experiment wherein a whole bunch of men were asked to wear the same underwear for a few days without showering or bathing. Each man’s underwear was then put in a separate sealed plastic bag. **Then,** a bunch of women were asked to smell the underwear and pick which one smelled the most “attractive” – i.e. which man’s scent did the most for them, consciously or unconsciously. The women were not allowed to see which man any pair of underwear belonged to. At the end of the experiment, each woman by-and-large preferred the scent on the undies of whichever man happened to have the most **complementary** immune system to hers. In other words, each woman chose a man based on their mutual … well … _chemistry_. Maybe this friend of the OPer doesn’t like the way the wealthy man’s underwear smells. ---
**Author:** ![Arne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Arne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arne)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/6 "2001-10-13T21:24:26Z")
So, Ruth do you have two friends pursued by wealthy people? Or were you trying to hide the sex of the real friend, in the event that the wealthy person stumbled across this website? Is your friend a man or woman? We don’t discourage women from receiving money from men, nearly as much as we do men receiving money from women. Why is that?? ---
**Author:** ![ssabmr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@ssabmr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ssabmr)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/7 "2001-10-13T21:42:15Z")
Arne, thank you for noticing. I realized that my male friend may invite the desirable wealthy woman to look at this site, so tried to “stop” the submission and thought I had done so effectively. I did revise it so my friend appeared as a woman. Yeh, he feels really bad about accepting money from this woman. I realize, I should not use my real name on these message boards. Perhaps, these threads will disappear soon. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/8 "2001-10-13T22:33:21Z")
Ruth: You can ask one of the moderators to change your username to something nice and anonymous, if you’d like. (I recommend something reminiscent of cats for female posters, and something reminiscent of violent robotic soldiers for male posters. 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![inertia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@inertia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inertia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/9 "2001-10-15T05:04:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Lemme repeat what I wrote in the _other_ “Chemistry or the Highest Bidder” thread (do we need 2 threads?): > **Then,** a bunch of women were asked to smell the underwear That’s soooo disgusting there aren’t even words for it. On topic: Your friend is a leach and an asshole. He’s almost as disgusting as week-old underwear. If he’s not interested, he shouldn’t be taking some woman’s money. I’d put the smack down on 'em if I knew who it was. ---
**Author:** ![inertia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d07c76/32.png) [@inertia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inertia)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/10 "2001-10-15T05:08:12Z")
come to think of it, his moochin’ ass aught to not take someone’s money even if he IS interested. Tell the lazy bastard to go get a freakin job. Cheap son of a beyotch. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/11 "2001-10-15T08:08:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Do you think this man could benefit from counseling? The _woman_ could benefit from counseling! I find this story a bit difficult to believe with all the much younger, cuter, studlier, virile men out there. :rolleyes: IMHO & FWIW And **Ruth** , IMHO you write like a man. ---
**Author:** ![jesse\_morrison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@jesse\_morrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesse_morrison)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/12 "2001-10-15T15:50:23Z")
Hi Ruth, I think your story may be fictional or at the very best a rare exception. If true, then she is probably just “slumming”. If she introduces him to some of her wealthy friends, then the first thing they are going to ask is “you’re very charming, what do you do?” Of course she could pass him off as a member of the X Group (artists, poets, actors, etc.) then they will say “Oh, I see.” Then the females will get her off to the side and inquire about his romantic sexual performance, wanting all the details. Your male friend is in a difficult spot. When your female friend carries him to one of her Social Gatherings, his most painful thought will be “Is she comparing me to all these Fat Cats?” Immediately after such a gathering, I am speculating that his sexual performance will fall under the heading of Premature Ejaculation, brought on by his state of anxiety of being compared as,Less Than, even though his shorts may smell sweeter than the Fat Cat’s shorts. I am speculating that your male friend scores very high in Bilateral Symmetry, which is directly correlated with Sweet Smelling Teashirts, and is also a more aesthetic way of determining who has the Alpha Male Genes. I would suggest that you tell your two friends to carry a set of calipers with them to the next Social Gathering and let her measure all the Fat Cats for Bilateral Symmetry (about 7 measurements, I think) and compare these readings with your male friends readings. If her friend wins the contest, then she will probably receive the best sexual performance of his gigolo career. If he looses, then they are back to where they started, and if this is the case, I would speculate that she will probably take note of the winners telephone number for future mating opportunities. Aloha, jesse,rc (relationship consultant) ---
**Author:** ![Yumanite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/b487fb/32.png) [@Yumanite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yumanite)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2001, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/13 "2001-10-15T17:20:54Z")
> [@](#): > > The woman could benefit from counseling! I find this story a bit difficult to believe with all the much younger, cuter, studlier, virile men out there. IMHO & FWIW I don’t recall that in the OP there was any mention of this guy’s studliness, virility, or cuteness. It just said he was in his fifties. Give the guy a break! ---
**Author:** ![jesse\_morrison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@jesse\_morrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesse_morrison)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2001, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/14 "2001-10-16T00:14:52Z")
Hi Ruth, Looking back thru some of my case histories, I found a similar situation. I was hired as a consultant for about a three month period, and have a lengthy file, but I wlll be brief. This case involved a Triad, and I will attempt to give it to you in outline form. Husband: 60 year old, well known TV actor (New York, and Los Angeles). Wife: 36 year old, three generation old money Southern Belle. Gigolo: 36 year old, muscian, artist, house painter, and Bilaterally Symmetrical Bodybuilder and Cross Dresser. 1. The Gigolo was painting the unhappily married couple’s One Milllion Dollar House, and he seduces the Wife on the winding staircase while the Husband was absent. 2. This Adutry goes on for about one month before the Wife (ADD) either intentionally or not, leaves certain documents in her SUV which the Husband discovers. 3. As expected, the first reaction by the Husband was to attempt intercourse with the Wife (Sperm Replacement), which she rejected thru a combination of her crossed legs and his Premature Ejaculation. 4. With the help of my intervention, and time, emotions and handguns were put aside. 5. During the next two months the Wife and Gigolo carefully carried on their affair without the Husband knowing or possibly not wanting to know. 6. The affair ended when the Gigolo could no longer sexually perform because his Cross Dressing Fetishism became overwhelming, inwhich he was afraid to reveal. 7. At the present, the Husband and Wife are still unhappily married, and have recently moved into a larger and more expensive house, and remain childless. 8. The Gigolo has become reclusive and hardly speaks to anyone other than myself. He has given up his music instruments and oils, and continues to paint houses to make ends meet. He continues to Cross Dress in private, while looking at pictures of young females in bathing suits while masturbating and thinking of what could have been. Aloha, jesse,rc ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2001, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/15 "2001-10-16T00:34:00Z")
inertia wrote: > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > > **Then,** a bunch of women were asked to smell the underwear > > That’s soooo disgusting there aren’t even words for it. Oh, come come now. They didn’t have the guys wear the same underwear for a whole **week** , just a couple of says. The underpants didn’t get to the point of being **smelly** – they just picked up enough of their wearers’ natural scent to be detectable. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/16 "2001-10-16T00:35:18Z")
Correction: They didn’t have the guys wear the same underwear for a whole week, just a couple of days. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/17 "2001-10-18T04:04:02Z")
tracer, While that may indeed be the case, how does that work in a modern society, where natural scenes are routinely covered by artificial scenes? Even if a person doesn’t use perfume, aftershave, etc., that stuff is everywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![CheapBastid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/18 "2001-10-18T17:07:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > \*\*Correction: > They didn’t have the guys wear the same underwear for a whole week, just a couple of days. \*\* Correction: They were t-shirts, and the men wore them as sleepwear for several evenings. ---
**Author:** ![jesse\_morrison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bcef8e/32.png) [@jesse\_morrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jesse_morrison)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2001, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/chemistry-or-the-highest-bidder/87288/19 "2001-10-18T18:25:50Z")
Originally posted by tracer They didn’t have the guys wear the same underwear for a whole week, just a couple of days * * * Correction by CheapBastid They were t-shirts, and the men wore them as sleepwear for several evenings. * * * I did not see the documentary, but I have read Journal Articles on such research. If I remember correctly it was t-shirts as sleepwear for one week. Also the experimental subjects were asked to not eat any spicy foods, or use deoderant before putting on the t-shirts. The t-shirt data was then correlated with Bilateral Symmetry data, and it was found that there was a direct correlation between bilateral symmetry and the best smelling t-shirts perceived by the female smellers. I do not recall the number of male smelees and the number of female smellers. I can not remember for sure, but I think the implication from this research is that sweet smelling pheromones is the result of being bilaterally symmetrical, and not the reverse. Tracer mentioned immune system correlation, but have not read anything about this, but it does sound plausible. For the purpose of my research on Human Deception to attract the opposite sex, or possibly the same sex, does anyone know if Cosmetic Surgeons are correctng Bilateral Asymmetry, along with a refferal to the local Macrobiotic Society? jesse (sleeps nude, exercises monolaterally, eats a number 7 macrobiotic diet, and wears disposable clothing)