Drooling over sexy women comes naturally to men

Flirting with a pretty woman is a mouth-watering prospect for menu00a0-- literally.

That's the conclusion of a new study, which found that blokes feel good while flirting with an attractive lady, reports The Daily Express.

In the research, boffins found that just being in the presence of a pretty member of the opposite sex causes a temporary boost in levels of testosterone and cortisol - both hormones associated with alertness and wellbeing.

However hanging around with other men has the opposite affect - reducing the levels of both substances in the body.

Researchers at the University of California reported the findings in the biological journal, Proceedings of the Royal Society.

Psychologist Dr James Roney, who led the research, said: "Both testosterone and cortisol increased among men who spoke with women but declined among men who interacted with other men."

The amount of sexual experience a man had was irrelevant to the hormonal reaction, tests found.

The research included 149 male students aged between 18 and 24 with a third interacting with a male researcher of 25 and the others talking to one of seven young female undergraduates aged 18 to 22.