A study found that looking at sexy images of women really does cause men's brains to shut down.

Researchers used brain scans to show that when straight men looked at pictures of women in bikinis, areas of the brain that normally light up in anticipation of using tools, like spanners and screwdrivers, were activated.

Scans of some of the men found that a part of the brain associated with empathy for other peoples' emotions and wishes shut down after looking at the pictures.

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Speaking at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in Chicago yesterday, Fiske said the findings called into question the impact of sexualised images of women that might be pinned on workplace walls or sent around offices where there was a strong locker-room culture.

"I'm not saying there should be censorship, but people need to be aware of the associations people will have in their minds," Fiske said.

Did it have to be tools? Couldn't it have been something a little more flattering?

You mean that women don't want to be compared to the sleek yet powerful design of a skill saw? Or the well crafted contours of 7in. Angle Grinder?

No wonder I'm still single. Maybe I shouldn't start my conversations with, "Baby you look like a woman who can apply just the right amount of torque to not shear the top off of bolt, yet enough to secure it firmly to the object to which I seek to fasten things; like a well crafted torque wrench." What's not flattering about being compared to a torque wrench?