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Large testicles linked to higher rates of cheating

A well-known zoologist from Norway is suggesting that his research on the size of male primates' testicles is somehow proof that female humans are likely to cheat.

If this sounds like a stretch, that's because it is.

Petter Bøckman, from the University of Oslo, released a new study that shows the larger the size of a male primate's testicles the greater the chance that he and his female partner with be unfaithful, reports The Telegraph.

The reasons for the infidelity are not entirely clear, but Bøckman suggests that a male with large testicles has a greater amount of sperm, and therefore, is motivated to spread his genes via multiple females.

It is further implied that because females are more selective in their mate choice, she is looking for a male can get the procreation mission accomplished. Even if she mates with a large-testicled male, she will keep looking for a man who is more likely to be faithful.

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The most bizarre aspect of this research is the fact that Bøckman says these findings are proof that female humans cheat.

"We can pledge our fidelity until we are blue in the face, but this is evidence that our females are cheating," he says. "We are not like chimpanzees, where the female has four or five sexual partners every time she is in heat, but there is always a certain likelihood that the neighbouring male has dropped by.”

Ugh. Where to start with Bøckman's comments. First of all, it's not news that women cheat, just as men do, so the fact that he points this out is of no real significance.

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Secondly, it is entirely possible that the reasons why human women cheat have very little to do with the same reasons why female bonobos, gorillas, and chimpanzees are unfaithful. It seems highly unlikely that a human female would cheat on her husband or boyfriend simply because his testicles are too large!

In all fairness to Bøckman though, maybe what he was trying to indicate is the fact that humans have unconscious biological drives, not unlike primates. Perhaps it is more plausible that a woman would cheat because she senses a lack of commitment -- physically, mentally or emotionally -- in her partner.

What are your thoughts on the findings of this study? Do you think it is a reflection of human sexual behaviour? Sound off in the comments below.