Good body image means risky sex

News24.com reports:

Young men who feel good about their looks are more likely than their peers with a less positive body image to engage in risky sexual behavior, a new study of college students shows.

The men who were most satisfied with their appearance, and the most appearance-oriented - meaning they were highly invested in their looks and considered appearance to be important - were also the most likely to have sex without condoms and to have sex with multiple partners, Dr. Eva Lefkowitz of Pennsylvania State University in University Park and colleagues report.

"There's kind of a general belief that a positive view of your body is a good thing," Lefkowitz said in an interview with Reuters Health. "We're not saying that's not true, but we do think in the case of young men there could be potential negative ramifications of a positive view of one's body."

Among young women, in contrast, those with a more positive body image were less likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, Lefkowitz and her team found.

An interesting study.