Dating Study: Women Are Choosier Than Men
Researchers Conclude Men Go For Good Looks When It Comes To Choosing A Mate
-
Photo
(AOL)
-
In The Spotlight
What Women Want
From what to wear at the beach to grooming, find out what women want to see in men. Check out a few findings from Cargo Magazine's survey.
And guys won't be surprised to learn that women are much choosier about partners than they are.
"Just because people say they're looking for a particular set of characteristics in a mate, someone like themselves, doesn't mean that is what they'll end up choosing," Peter M. Todd, of the cognitive science program at Indiana University, Bloomington, said in a telephone interview.
Researchers led by Todd report in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that their study found humans were similar to most other mammals, "following Darwin's principle of choosy females and competitive males, even if humans say something different."
Their study involved 26 men and 20 women in Munich, Germany.
Participants ranged in age from 26 to their early 40s and took part in "speed dating," short meetings of three to seven minutes in which people chat, then move on to meet another dater. Afterward, participants check off the people they'd like to meet again, and dates can be arranged between pairs who select one another.
Speed dating let researchers look at a lot of mate choices in a short time, Todd said.
In the study, participants were asked before the session to fill out a questionnaire about what they were looking for in a mate, listing such categories as wealth and status, family commitment, physical appearance, healthiness and attractiveness.
After the session, the researchers compared what the participants said they were looking for with the people they actually chose to ask for another date.
Men's choices did not reflect their stated preferences, the researchers concluded. Instead, men appeared to base their decisions mostly on the women's physical attractiveness.
The men also appeared to be much less choosy. Men tended to select nearly every woman above a certain minimum attractiveness threshold, Todd said.
Women's actual choices, like men's, did not reflect their stated preferences, but they made more discriminating choices, the researchers found.
The scientists said women were aware of the importance of their own attractiveness to men, and adjusted their expectations to select the more desirable guys.
"Women made offers to men who had overall qualities that were on a par with the women's self-rated attractiveness. They didn't greatly overshoot their attractiveness," Todd said, "because part of the goal for women is to choose men who would stay with them"
But, he added, "they didn't go lower. They knew what they could get and aimed for that level."
So, it turns out, the women's attractiveness influenced the choices of the men and the women.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



In the situation of speed dating, a man is looking for the tramp. All he is looking to get is a place to relieve himself physically and move on. Women I''m guessing think speed dating is a legitimate way of choosing a potential mate, so they are trying to be more choosy to take it more seriously. The guys are trying to get laid.
Men would expect to meet a woman they want to be the mother of their children in a different way, probably in church or introduced by a relative or another decent introduction to a clean and honorable type of woman, who isn''t necessarily out there trolling for guys.
Men are weird about their mothers, and potential mothers too, yet my woman friends just don''t get this. The rule of thumb is if you feel disgusted imagining your mother doing something, odds are deep inside the guy he is thinking the same thing about you. Though he is willing to block the feelings to get his physical relief.
Anyway if they had done this study in a situation men were taking seriously, like their church or family, then you would see the men being very choosy, very careful.
Duh!
Sorry ladies, but in spite of the fact that this is the 21st century and you were told by your college professors and the movies you watch that your fascinating career and many wonderful accomplishments will attract a man to you, the reality is that it doesn''t matter one tiny bit to a guy. Zero. Zip. Nada. Line up a dozen hot waitresses and a dozen witty, charming, but average-looking female doctors and the waitresses will get the guy every time.
"Men''s choices did not reflect their stated preferences, the researchers concluded."
That''s because we lie so you''ll think we have lofty ideas about women. Meanwhile, we''re checking out every girl that comes within our peripheral vision.
So hit the gym, ladies, and, if you really want to beat the competition, learn to cook. You''ll get extra bonus points if you never talk.
Wearing size 0 - 3:
Very choosy (and knows it)
Wearing size 4 - 7:
Somewhat choosy (but is willing to overlook some things)
Wearing size 8 - 12:
Minimally choosy (but wishes they could find better)
Wearing size 13 and above:
As the saying goes: "Beggars can''t be choosers!"
If you wanna be happy
For the rest of your life,
Never make a pretty woman your wife,
So from my personal point of view,
Get an ugly girl to marry you.
A pretty woman makes her husband look small
And very often causes his downfall.
As soon as he marries her
Then she starts to do
The things that will break his heart.
But if you make an ugly woman your wife,
You''ll be happy for the rest of your life,
An ugly woman cooks her meals on time,
She''ll always give you peace of mind.
Don''t let your friends say
You have no taste,
Go ahead and marry anyway,
Though her face is ugly,
Her eyes don''t match,
Take it from me she''s a better catch.
-Jimmy Soul
William in Colorado
I keep getting emails from Chemistry.com telling me they have too many women and need more men on their site. ROTFLMAO!
I agree with you on the superman thing, but aren''t we looking for superwoman?
Actually I''m not, I''m looking for that "click". It''s something you don''t get on these dating sites. And I''m looking outside the US for a wife. I''m tired of the games that get played by them.
Posted by USAyesterday at 05:49 AM : Sep 04, 2007
Good post! lmao!
Posted by kestrel9000 at 06:31 AM : Sep 04, 2007
Right on!
Posted by OldThought at 11:14 AM : Sep 04, 2007
The Canadian rock group The Northern Pikes (ya, I know you''ve never heard of them) had a minor hit a few decades back called "She ain''t pretty, she just looks that way". I''ve seen some phenomenally ugly "beautiful people".
20 german couples "speed-dating" and the lead sentence is about Science and "mates"?
Please, you''ve got one minute in front of some chick, what else are you going to be attracted to?
-
by sy2502
September 6, 2007 1:22 PM PDT
- This study assumes that Women are "on the prowl" for a man, any man that is that she thinks she can catch, read on, is worthy of her status line in beauty. This is so demeaning.
-
Reply to this comment
-
See all 24 CommentsPosted by TrueProgress at 02:00 AM : Sep 06, 2007
Humans are the product of millions of years of evolution, and the most powerful evolutionary goal is to pass on your genes. That''s why we are programmed to seek a mate that will help us achieve that evolutionary goal. By scoffing on the very concept of looking for a mate you are making a fool of yourself. If you ever had a meaningful relationship, you would know there is nothing demeaning about it.