The “Duke of Marlborough Effect” was mentioned by Richard Dawkins to refer to the increase in masculine libido that results from experiencing a victory, whether directly or vicariously. This was so-named from an entry in the Duchess of Marlborough’s diary, “His Grace returned from the wars today and pleasured me twice in his top-boots.” Male athletes tend to experience elevated testosterone levels before a contest; those who win tend to maintain afterwards those elevated testosterone levels, but the testosterone levels of losers drops dramatically afterwards.
There will likely be a lot of canoodling in Old Boston now that the Red Sox have won the Series due to the Duke of Marlborough effect and the subsequent release of proper Bostonian inhibitions.
by eViL pOp TaRt October 30, 2007