The Experiment
It began with a notice in our college newspaper.
"Wanted. Students for a psychological experience involving sexual attitudes. Must be open-minded, willing to experiment. Couples only! $500 each, for a five-day study during Spring break."
$500 to a college student is a fortune. I'd do a lot for that. But the requirement for couples was a problem. While Betty and I had been going together for months, she was not the "willing to experiment" type. That in fact was one impediment in what was otherwise a happy and affectionate relationship. We'd been intimate, sure, but anything that your average missionary wouldn't approve of, was off limits.
Even though I knew she also needed the money, I knew it would be a hard sell. Her initial reaction was as expected.
"No way am I buying into a sex-besotted experiment, doing God-knows what," she said. "Are you insane?"
She uses words like "besotted." The hazards of dating an English major.
"You don't even know what it entails," I said. "Don't reject it out of hand."
"Well, but you don't know either. I'm not willing to have our sex life probed and examined."
"Who said it involves our sex life?" I responded. Then foolishly added, "As limited as it is."
"I beg your pardon?" she flared. "Are you back on that kick, trying to get me to do unnatural stuff?"
Oh my. I'd never persuade her like this. I changed tactics.
"With a $1,000 between us, we could go on a weekend retreat to that bed and breakfast you've talked about. It'd be a nice reward after exams."
That bait bobbed on the surface for a while. Then she nibbled.
"Let's talk with the professor running the study. He can give us more information," she suggested.
A few days later, we arranged a Zoom call with the professor.
"Dr. McIntyre, we'd like to know some more about the psychological study you're doing over Spring break. What's the purpose, and what's expected of the participants?"
He responded: "The study is designed to analyze participants' reaction to uncomfortable sexual situations. We'll deliberately expose them to things that are unfamiliar. Some tests will feature a reward or a punishment, as an inducement. Then we'll try to discern what motivates people to buy into, or to reject, new attitudes."
Betty was wary. "What exactly are we talking about? Is there sex involved?
"I can't go into more details, as we want the participants' reaction to be spontaneous. No one will be forced to do something they absolutely don't want to do. But you have to commit to carefully consider everything, and to be articulate in your responses as why you chose or refuse to do something. I've had great response to the notice, so I only have a few slots left. Let me know soon if you're interested."
Articulate was not a problem for my English major but the exact nature of what we were to do was still shrouded in mystery. To me, the prospect of her confronting new sexual attitudes was very appealing. So, I pressed her.
"Look, college is about expanding horizons. The professor says you'd never have to do something you hate. Why not take a chance? We could really use $1,000."
She was skeptical, but in the end, she agreed. We signed up.
When Spring break began, the 12 couples who were part of the study gathered in the meeting room of one of the dorms. Most students had gone home for the break, so we basically had the dorm to ourselves.
Day 1: Dr. McIntyre greeted us.
"Thank you all for agreeing to be part of this study. You're doing the psychology department a service by your participation, and I suspect you'll know a lot more about yourselves when this is over.
"I know you're curious what we'll be doing. Many of you asked for details, but we were careful not to reveal much. That changes now.
"Sex is one of the strongest influences in our lives, if not the strongest. If we're not engaged with sex, we're usually thinking about it."
There was some nervous agreement and laughter about this.
"Sex is a universal presence, but we hide it away behind phobias and restrictions. We view sex through societal rules and conventions, some logical, others not. Girls don't think twice about being in a skimpy bikini on a beach, but would you wear one down Main Street -- or to class? We're going to examine those attitudes toward our bodies. For our first exercise, tomorrow I'm asking you is to come to this session wearing a bathing suit, girls in bikinis, guys in swim trunks."
There was a predictable murmur over that directive. Many guys had a smug look, contemplating seeing all the females wearing very little. The girls were less gleeful -- despite the fact that the guys would be similarly underdressed.
Dr. McIntyre let this sink in for a while, then asked: "Who here is uncomfortable with coming to class in swimwear? If you are, we can talk about your getting an exemption."
No one stirred, until one girl raised her hand. As soon as she did, half the girls raised their hands. One spoke:
"I don't want people to be staring at me. On the beach, there's a reason for a bathing suit. It's hot, you're sweating, you can go in the water. The only reason to wear a bathing suit here is so that guys can stare at us."
There were a lot of heads nodding in agreement.
"Well, I can understand that," said the Professor. "No one wants to be objectified. So let me change the equation. I'll give $50 to every girl who wears a bikini here tomorrow. Does that make a difference?"
It made a big difference. Every girl in the class said they'd be okay with that incentive, even Betty.
