Academic Press Releases of the Day: Michael Jackson, Friends, Male Vibrator Use

The University of Rochester: "Rock, Pop Historian Assesses Michael Jackson's Greatness." Sample: "The single glove, his patented moonwalk step, that slightly rebellious yet gentle demeanor--all this youthful charm slipped away over time, as it does for all of us." You can get this sort of thing at our Sound of the City blog, but with swearing and graphics.

"Ryerson University researchers examined the effects of television shows on young women's body image using the show Friends. The research team found watching the show had an adverse effect on the viewers' satisfaction with their own appearance." Maybe, but the girls have all moved on to The Real Housewives of New Jersey, so they'll feel intellectually superior at least.

Wake Forest University: "Rating Attractiveness: Consensus Among Women, Not Men." Assistant Professor Dustin Wood (pictured -- hey, he's cute) has learned that while "men's judgments of women's attractiveness were based primarily around physical features," and fairly uniform, "some women gave high attractiveness ratings to the men other women said were not attractive at all." Conclusion: "Although men are rated as more attractive by women when they meet these physical appearance standards too, their overall judged attractiveness isn't as tightly linked to their physical features." Thank God!

Finally, researchers at Indiana University find that "vibrator use during sexual interactions" is "reported by approximately 53 percent of women and 45 percent of men ages 18 to 60," showing that "vibrator use is also common among men, something that has not been documented before." Also, there are "no statistical differences" in reported vibrator use between straight and gay men. Here's an icebreaker for your next Boy's Night Out; maybe you can turn it into a Passion Party. It'll be a nice change from beer pong.