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Sex Sells? No, It Doesn’t

By Carl Engelking
Jun 23, 2017 6:41 PMNov 19, 2019 2:05 AM
Sex Ad Wikimedia Commons
Sex appeals in advertising have a long history, but for good reason? (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

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Chiseled abs and bikinis can sell just about anything, right? According to the minds behind those Carl’s Jr. ads—and countless others—you’d think that’d be true.

This idea that “sex sells” has hung around for more than a century, and by this point it’s almost accepted as a doctrine. And those are exactly the types of claims researchers love putting to the test.

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