Debates over the hijab and aurah/aurat have been going for ages.
For those who are unconvinced on the obligation to cover themselves up, here’s another reason to do so. For the sake of men’s intelligence.
Talking to an attractive woman really can make a man lose his mind, according to a new study.
…[R]esearch shows men who spend even a few minutes in the company of an attractive woman perform less well in tests designed to measure brain function than those who chat to someone they do not find attractive.
Researchers who carried out the study, published in the Journal of Experimental and Social Psychology, think the reason may be that men use up so much of their brain function or ‘cognitive resources’ trying to impress beautiful women, they have little left for other tasks.
The findings have implications for the performance of men who flirt with women in the workplace, or even exam results in mixed-sex schools.
But aren’t men supposed to cover up too? Won’t women be affected if she is swooned by the opposite sex?
Women, however, were not affected by chatting to a handsome man.
This may be simply because men are programmed by evolution to think more about mating opportunities.
(Source)
Of course, men have always been reminded to lower their gaze and avoid unnecessary attraction when in company of the ladies:
قُلْ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا مِنْ أَبْصَارِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا فُرُوجَهُمْ ذَلِكَ أَزْكَى لَهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ
“Tell the male mu’min (believers) to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what they do.”
(An-Nuur:30)
؏
Further reading: نصيحة تعين المسلم والمسلمة على غض البصر
A Moderate Estimate 