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 S. Lefkowitz of Pennsylvania State University in University Park and colleagues report.

Theres kind of a general belief that a positive view of your body is a good thing, Lefkowitz said in an interview with Reuters Health. Were not saying thats not true, but we do think in the case of young men there could be potential negative ramifications of a positive view of ones 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.

The researchers interviewed 434 students, ranging in age from 17 to 19, during their first year of college. Fifty-nine percent reported being sexually active. Just over two-thirds of sexually active students said they didnt use condoms every time they had sex, while a little over half said they used alcohol while having sex at least some of the time.

While sexually active students reported less dissatisfaction with their looks and a more positive body image on average, its important to point out that we dont know which comes first, Lefkowitz said. People who feel better about their looks may be more likely to have sex, or being sexually active may confer a better body image, she explained.

As the researchers hypothesized, men with better body images had more lifetime sex partners and were less likely to use condoms during sex, while women who felt more positively about their looks had fewer partners and used condoms more frequently.

The findings show, Lefkowitz and her team conclude, that high self-esteem in terms of appearance may not be protective for young men, but instead may put them in danger of taking risks sexually.

Parents sending sons off to college may want to consider really emphasizing not just go forth and feel good about yourself, but also within those messages emphasizing the importance of protecting yourself and respect for women, Lefkowitz advised.

美国针对在校大学生的一项最新调查显示，对自己的外表感到满意的男生比那些对外表不太自信的人更容易发生危险的性行为。

据路透社3月27日报道，这份由美国宾夕法尼亚州州立大学的伊娃·莱夫科维茨博士及其同事撰写的调查报告指出，对外表很满意并注重打扮的年轻男性最有可能在发生性行为时不使用避孕套并且拥有多名性伴侣。但调查结果显示，年轻女性的情况恰好相反——越是对外表满意的女孩，发生不安全性行为的可能性越小。

莱夫科维茨说：“一般人认为，对自己的外表自信是一件好事，但有时候也可能适得其反。”研究人员对宾夕法尼亚州州立大学年龄在17岁至19岁的434名大一新生做了上述调查。59％的学生承认有性行为。但超过三分之二的人表示不是每次做爱都使用避孕套，而超过半数的人表示有时在做爱时还会饮酒。调查还发现，有性行为的学生很少有对自己的外表不满意的，且基本上都对外表很自信。莱夫科维茨说：“必须要指出的是，我们不知道哪一个更重要。不知道对外貌自信的学生更容易发生性行为，还是性行为可以让学生对自己的外表更自信？”

据研究人员假设，外貌较好的男性一生可能会拥有多个性伴侣，并在做爱时较少使用避孕套，而对外表满意的女性则性伴侣较少，且使用避孕套的几率更大。莱夫科维茨和她的研究小组总结说，调查发现，对于外表的高度自信不一定对年轻男性有利，反而有可能增加其性行为的危险性。

为此，莱夫科维茨建议说，父母将自己的儿子送进大学时，不仅要劝告孩子不能只有性冲动或对自己感到自信，还要强调自我保护意识以及对女孩的尊重。”