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A few years after the end of the World War II, a particularly creative anatomist named John MacLeod somehow persuaded a group of inmates at the Oklahoma State Prison to pack their testicles in ice and then masturbate. As if he hadn’t asked enough already, MacLeod then managed to warm the prisoners’ only valuables with heat lamps before they masturbated again. The sperm count, the doctor determined, was higher when the prisoners’ testicles were iced than when they were hot –so much for cold showers.

It seems logical to conclude that in drawing the testicles closer to the body and thus warming them, briefs could decrease the amount of sperm in a man’s semen. Boxers, on the other hand, allow man’s private parts more room to breathe, to cool, to create, as it were. Maybe that explains why manufacturers are reporting that sales of boxers are up. Babies are in, and to sire one, a guy’s gotta do what a guy’s gotta do to do what a guy’s gotta do—or maybe it’s simply because boxers are more comfortable and briefs. Either way, boxers are hot because they’re so cool.

Not that they ever left some people’s seats. Some of our grandfathers, for example, never stopped wearing them. Boxers were introduced to the public back in the 1930s—about the time Joe Louis began sporting a pair in the ring. Earlier, during the World War 1, the U.S. Army had handed them out along with rifles. Soldiers wore a two-piece undersuit during the war and the not-yet-brief shorts in the summer. When the troops returned home, they stuck with boxers. During the Korean War, Uncle Sam continued to issue boxers, big and cotton and baggy, with two bows on either side. In fact, whenever fun turned to fists in civilian saloons, the military police would often herd all involved into the men’s room and command, “Drop ‘em!” Those with the telltale bows went to the guardhouse.

In the early days of television, Uncle Miltie could always get a laugh by dropping his pants. The audience loved it. A group of M.B.A. students at Northwestern’s Kellogg’s School of Management, for example, made a little extra years ago by printing “CAPITALIST TOOL” on boxers!

Meanwhile, grandfathers and bankers aren’t the only ones wearing them. “Boxers are a way for a young man to show off his individuality,” says Patricia Grodd, of New York City’s Paul Stewart, who confesses to wearing undergarments herself. “Let’s face it,” she says, “if you’re gonna wear quality, why not wear it close to the skin?”

For those who were brought up during the generation of the briefs, wearing boxers may take some getting used to, especially if you have walked around for a more than twenty years with the family jewels held secure within those trusted briefs. Boxers may seem physically daring at first, then more comfortable second. Some feel sexier wearing boxers. Other women may not be sure if it looks sexier, but if it would bring more comfort and a higher sperm count, it may be worth the switch.