Why do briefs feel so good

Slightly more than half the men wore boxers; the rest wore briefs, boxer briefs, bikinis, or other tight-fitting underwear. Chavarro and his colleagues found that men who mostly wore boxers had seventeen per cent more sperm and a twenty-five-per-cent higher concentration of them than men who preferred tight underwear.

The two cohorts showed little difference in the activity, morphology, or genetic integrity of their sperm. But, tellingly, men who wore tight underwear had higher levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, which is released by the pituitary gland to boost sperm production.

And, the authors were careful to note, other unreported factors could have come into play, such as the types of pants the men wore or the truthfulness of their responses. Even the reduced semen measurements were well within the normal range. Where the difference might matter is among men whose sperm numbers are low to begin with; wearing briefs might push them below the range of viability.

Chavarro did not specify what kind of underwear he himself wears, except by omission. By Alan Burdick. By Tom Rachman. The Daily The best of The New Yorker , every day, in your in-box, plus occasional alerts when we publish major stories. Enter your e-mail address. Lab Notes. Gray, ripped, unsightly. Get rid of it. Toss it. Masini says this purge should be accompanied by buying new underwear regularly.

Link buying new underwear to something you already do on a schedule, so you get into the habit. Colors, fabrics, cuts, styles — have at least one pair of each. Here, Dr. The next issue to consider is what material to choose. Masini says that men, just like women, should choose cotton or synthetic blends for everyday wear and save the more luxurious silks and other fun fabrics for special occasions.

For the gym, Maurice Voce, the co-founder and chief marketing officer of skin care line Skin Authority, says that the newest synthetic blends are the way to go to prevent chaffing. Every editorial product is independently selected. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.

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