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Men and women have long argued over which is the more stupid sex, but now researchers have evidence to support the postulation that there is a “highly statistically significant” difference between the genders when it comes to “idiotic risk-taking behavior” — and it does not favor men.
Researchers at Newcastle University in England conducted a study of the risk-taking behavior of winners of the Darwin Awards — which commemorate those who die in bizarre accidents — and came up with the “Male Idiot Theory.”
Over a 20-year period, the researchers found that males made up 88.7% of Darwin Award nominations, according to the British Medical Journal, which published the study in its holiday issue.
Winners of the Darwin Award include a Toronto lawyer who crashed through a pane of glass and fell 24 floors to his death while demonstrating the safety of the building’s windows; a Polish farmer who cut off his own head with a chainsaw while horsing around with friends; and a would-be terrorist who mailed a letter bomb with insufficient postage only to die when the parcel was returned to sender and he opened it.
The researchers said that their findings support their working hypothesis that “men are idiots and do stupid things.”
The research team — all men — said they were surprised at the results of their tongue-in-cheek study but that their female colleagues were less shocked by their findings, the BMJ reported.
They suggested that in many cases men may not make a proper assessment of risk before engaging in dangerous activities.
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