PETER SAGAL, HOST:
Right now, it's time for the WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME Bluff the Listener game. Call 1-888-WAIT-WAIT to play our game on the air. Hi, you are on WAIT WAIT... DON'T TELL ME.
RYAN QUINN: Hi, Peter. This is Ryan Quinn from Fargo, N.D.
SAGAL: Fargo - how are things in Fargo?
QUINN: Eh, things are good.
(LAUGHTER)
QUINN: It's finally warm.
SAGAL: Is that, like, the Fargo Chamber of Commerce slogan? Eh...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: ...Things are good.
QUINN: More or less. Actually, it's north of normal.
SAGAL: Yes, that's what I've heard. Well, Ryan, it's nice to have you with us. You're going to play our game in which you have to tell truth from fiction. Bill, what is Ryan's topic?
BILL KURTIS: Let's spice things up.
SAGAL: Everybody wants to spice up their love life, but a warning - if you use actual spices, do not use cayenne.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: This week, we read about a new way couples can keep things interesting. Our panelists are going to tell you about it. Pick the real one, and you'll win our prize - any voice from our show you might choose doing your voicemail. First up, let's hear from Alonzo Bodden.
ALONZO BODDEN: Yes, it's true - Americans think soccer is dull. But if you want to blow on the fading ember of your relationship, sit down on the couch and watch the World Cup. According to researcher Melanie Dodson (ph), couples are reporting spikes in sexual activity right after World Cup matches - even the boring ones, which - let's face it - is most of them.
(LAUGHTER)
BODDEN: She says, quote, "to start with, it's a shared activity, which is always good for couples. But, beyond that, men and women react to the game in very different ways." She said the men are revved up by the excitement and the competition. This raises their testosterone levels.
(LAUGHTER)
BODDEN: On the other hand, women see an elaborate spectacle of nonviolent cooperation among teammates...
(LAUGHTER)
BODDEN: ...Which inspires a feminine yearning for an emotional connection.
(LAUGHTER)
BODDEN: Although Dodson admits the totally hot male bods and the grunting doesn't hurt either.
(LAUGHTER)
BODDEN: Dodson says that she's been unable to discern why more common sports like basketball and football don't inspire the same reaction. Quote, "I believe it's because these sports are routine and familiar while soccer is exotic. Plus, few American men go out to bars to watch soccer, so chances are better they'll both be in the same room after the game ends."
(LAUGHTER)
BODDEN: She says, I have one couple, and they say they like to do it soccer-style - meaning no hands allowed.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Turns out...
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: ...Watching soccer, as incomprehensible as it may be, it might be good for you and your love life. Next, let's hear from Mo Rocca.
MO ROCCA: It's being hailed as a landmark study - 281 institutions from all around the world coming together over the course of three years to determine what differentiates people with active love lives from those with less active love lives. The findings varied wildly. Those with active love lives tended to set their own work hours, if they worked at all, take dates to Michelin star restaurants, have their hair cut by Frederic Fekkai, have a positive relationship with the butler, drive a Bentley. Those with less active love lives tend to work three or more jobs...
(LAUGHTER)
ROCCA: ...Insist on going Dutch, cut their own hair, take the bus, have a strained relationship with the 28-year-old son still living at home...
(LAUGHTER)
ROCCA: ...The same one who insists on going along on the dates because the refrigerator is empty. Quote, "we've only begun to analyze the findings," says professor Venivia Star (ph), a top researcher at MIT. "A deep dive may be needed to see if there's any connection among these data points."
(LAUGHTER)
ROCCA: The study was commissioned by Money magazine.
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: It turns out...
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: ...The rich are different from you and me in that way, too. Your last story of a bedroom boost comes from Faith Salie.
FAITH SALIE: We all know that a nature walk can make us feel better. But new research reveals that just looking at nature can make us feel better naked. The study asked subjects to view a short film of a walk through city streets followed by another short film of a beautiful river. Participants' body appreciation scores improved by 66 percent after looking at the nature images. And since scientists say people who love their birthday suits have more sex, this means if you just sit around eating pita chips staring at rainforests, you're probably going to want to get it on.
(LAUGHTER)
SALIE: The study's author, professor Viren Swami from Cambridge's Anglia Ruskin University, explains, natural environments effortlessly hold your attention - a process known as soft fascination. This is often accompanied by feelings of pleasure, such as when you are drawn to the sight of a setting sun. So settle into that sofa, turn on a nature documentary and ask your viewing partner, is that a giant redwood or did your fascination...
(LAUGHTER)
SALIE: ...Just get a little less soft?
(LAUGHTER, APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: All right. A new study promises a way to improve your love life. Is it, from Alonzo Bodden, just watch soccer together; from Mo Rocca, become extremely rich; or, from Faith Salie, just watch nature documentaries?
QUINN: Oh, boy.
SAGAL: Oh, boy.
QUINN: Well...
(LAUGHTER)
QUINN: I'm going to go with Faith's story about nature documentaries.
SAGAL: You are?
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: Here at Tanglewood, they agree with you. And I should say, we're in nature, and I have no idea what they're doing in the back of the lawn, so...
(LAUGHTER)
SAGAL: Your choice, then, is Faith's story. Well, to bring you the truth, we actually spoke to the person who actually led this study about human behavior.
VIREN SWAMI: What we found was that watching the film of a walk in nature had a positive impact on body image.
(APPLAUSE)
SAGAL: That was Viren Swami, lead author of the study about nature documentaries. Congratulations, you got it right. Faith is, of course, telling the truth.
(APPLAUSE)
SALIE: Thanks, Ryan.
QUINN: Thank you.
SAGAL: We really appreciate you playing. You've won a point for, of course, Faith, and you've won our prize for yourself - the voice of any of us you may choose on your voicemail. Thank you so much for playing.
QUINN: Thanks, Peter.
SAGAL: Thank you. Bye-bye.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "I'M WALKIN'")
FATS DOMINO: (Singing) I'm walkin'. Yes, indeed, I'm talkin' about you and me. I'm hopin' that you'll come back to me, yeah. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.