Weird Male Behavior - Decoded

From: CosmoPhils 10th Anniversary Issue

Sometimes it's hard to know what makes men tick. So we researched some of guy's most baffling antics. Check out these fascinating explanations.

:: What do guys find so funny about fall-down, kick-in-the-groin humor?

As a rule, people tend to laugh at things that make them uncomfortable, and for men, getting hurt is their worst nightmare. "Guys are afraid of being emasculated, so when they see it happen to someone else, like the Three Stooges or in Dumb abd Dumber, they laugh, almost relieved it's not them," explains psychologist George Weinberg, PhD, author of Why Men Won't Commit.

:: Why do so many men seem oblivious to clutter and mess?
You might be annoyed by the piles of clothes and papers scattered all over his house, but he may not notice! "Because of biology and socialization, women feel pressure to create a warm, comforting environment," says Weinberg. "But a man's pride is outside of the home. His office may be pristine, but the look of his apartment is not a priority."

:: Why do guys play pointless games?

Stacking cans and shooting wads of papers into the trash may seem dumb to you, but he can't help it. "Guys have a need to achieve a sense of competence, even if the skills have no purpose," says Judy Kleinfeld, EdD, professor of psychology at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.

:: Why do guys spend long hours surfing around on their computers or playing with gadgets?

Call it crazy, but he actually enjoys seeing how far he can push the thing until it breaks. "Then he can have the pleasure of fixing it and learning how it works," says Kleinfeld. "The more he explores, the greater the likelihood that he'll find new features." It's a toy to him, not a functional object.

:: Why is it that as soon as a realationship gets serious, some guys get malabo?

You'll finally decided to be exclusive, and he suddenly starts pulling away. What the hell? Well, men in relationship often feel physically torn in two different directions. While oxytocin, the bonding hormone, is making him want to attach to a girl, the testosterone in his system is telling him to break free and maintain his independence, according to Michael Gurian, author of What Could He Be Thinking?

:: Why do guys respond to a long e-mail with two sentences?
You wrote an entire novel describing your day, and he respond with something like "That's cool. Let's do Chinese for dinner." Annoying? Absolutely, but it's not personal. "For most men, the purpose of communication is just to deliver information, not to connect to another person," explains Weinberg. "If he reads a long e-mail, he'll weed out the pointshe needs to address. Responding to every detail just doesn't seem necessary to him."