“The Importance of Being Smelly” – a Talk by Dr Mairi Macleod
Thursday 22nd June 2017, 18.30 – 21.30
Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Free Admission.
We’re running an event in conjunction with the Ragged University Meetup group, featuring a talk by Dr Mairi Macleod on “The Importance of Being Smelly” at the Cabaret Voltaire. Come along and relax with a drink and listen to the talk (at 7pm-ish). Afterwards there will be time to socialise, and there will be some food provided – feel free to bring something to contribute, but no obligation. Later in the evening there will be another talk on “Improvised Fiction Meets Research” by John Morrison. For more info see the Ragged University Meetup Page.
Mairi’s Talk:
You might not think your sense of smell is particularly essential, but research is showing that we give and receive all sorts of important signals through the olfactory channel and scientists have dubbed humans “the scented ape”. We glean information on each others’ age, gender, emotions and even personality through our noses, but perhaps the most important function of our sense of smell is that of mate choice.
In this talk, I’ll explain why liking your partner’s natural smell is vital for relationship satisfaction, sexual attraction and fidelity, fertility and our children’s health. I’ll also reveal the rather surprising effects of perfume and of “the pill” on the biological signals we give out and receive via smelliness.
Feeling frisky and restless? It might be the HRT talking.
If you’re a woman of a certain age, you might have considered hormone replacement therapy to restore lost oestrogen and get rid of the annoying symptoms of menopause. But while your doctor will have told you about the health risks of HRT, she’ll almost certainly not have mentioned its effects on your desire for sexual variety and your chances of straying from the marital bed.Continue Reading
“The Science of Attraction & Relationships” One-Day Workshops in Edinburgh & Glasgow
Would you like to understand the real science behind our desires and preferences and how it can help you in your own
relationships? Want to meet other like-minded men and women? We’re running one-day workshops, presented in a fun, informal, multimedia format and led by Dr Mairi Macleod. Refreshments provided. Come and enjoy the discussion!
Day 1: What Men & Women Want & Why; Personality & Relationships; Are we Built for Monogamy?
Day 2: Attachment Styles & Relationships; Personal Scent & Attraction; Evolving Relationships in the Modern World.
For more information about the workshops click here, or to ask Mairi a question, click here.
Some Women are From Mars. Some Men are From Venus
While slurping my coffee and checking emails in the kitchen this morning I had BBC breakfast on the TV and caught an item about a program due to air this evening on the behaviour of 5-year-old boys and girls and what they say about each other.
They had a couple of the little people on the red sofa, and I have to say, I totally fell in love with feisty little Eva. The 5-year-old totally nailed the whole male-female difference issue; one that social commentators and academics have been fighting about for years.Continue Reading
Ragged University Talks at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
Had a great night on Thursday this week at Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, talking about where our stereotypes about attraction and relationships come from and where they fall wide of the mark. Great crowd and lovely relaxed atmosphere. We’re going to be running more of these talks soon – one on “The Importance of Being Smelly”, and another on “Attachment and How to Find a Secure Partnership”.
If you’d like to know more, or would like a talk like this at another venue contact us!
Mairi
Why do Women Ever Wear High Heels to Work?
The fabulous, 27 year-old Nicola Thorp last year managed to overturn a rule requiring her to wear high-heels for her job as a receptionist, and today, after gathering 150,000 signatures on a petition to ban sexist dress rules, she’s inspired a parliamentary report recommending strong sanctions against companies trying to enforce these. Most of us can relate to her desire not to strap thin spikes to the bottom of her feet and hobble around in them all day, but it raises the question, why on earth do so many women actually voluntarily wear these things to work?Continue Reading
“The Myths of Attraction” – talk by Dr Mairi Macleod
Thursday 26th January 2017, 18.30 – 21.30
Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Free Admission.
We’re running an event in conjunction with the Ragged University Meetup group, featuring a talk by Dr Mairi Macleod on “The Myths of Attraction” at the Cabaret Voltaire. Come along and relax with a drink and listen to the talk (at 7pm) and then stick around and socialise into the night…
The talk (1 hour-ish):
Is it true that men are into casual sex but women want commitment? Do men actually prefer thin women? Do women want macho, high-status men? Are dumb girls more attractive? And are the first impressions we give out really vitally important?
In this presentation Mairi Macleod will answer these questions about romantic attraction and much more.Continue Reading
When You Shouldn’t Play Hard to Get
A few years back when I was single and I had the common affliction of always going for the wrong kind of guy, a well-meaning friend gave me a paperback called “The Complete Book of Rules: time tested secrets for capturing the heart of Mr Right”.
It promised much: All a girl has to do is hold back and let the guy do the running. Make sure he knows you’re too busy to see him. Don’t call him and it will make him desire you more. I’ve now come to realise that while there’s a little bit of truth in this stuff, mostly it’s bollocks.Continue Reading
Interview with Dr Mairi Macleod and Miss Manifestation
Check out this video for thoughts on how things change with relationships at different times of life, on infidelity, on maintaining desire, and on picking the right man…