Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, March 28, 1995 TAG: 9503290026
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Not with women.
At least that is the conclusion researchers have drawn from studies of what women want in a date or a mate.
The work of psychologists at Texas A&M supports previous studies that showed women were attracted by men's physical appearance and "dominant" behavior - that is, assertiveness and levels of ambition and industriousness indicating an ability to amass enough wealth to support children.
If you want to get primitive about it, the guy who can make the kill and bring it home. Among peace-loving vegetarians, the guy who can grab the top banana.
But when the researchers sought more complex explanations for what attracted women, they found that, while looks did matter, the men who came across as kind and cooperative were better looking to the women in the study than men of comparable appearance who were perceived as selfish and unhelpful.
Doesn't the appeal of the "dominance" factor indicate a secret desire for a bit of brutishness, though? Just the occasional cavemanlike behavior?
Not really. Science News reports that, in the Texas A&M study, dominant behaviors such as talkativeness and assertiveness did make the men more attractive in the women's eyes - if the women also saw them as nice guys. But if the male subjects acted unkind, dominant behaviors didn't make them more appealing in the least.
And, guys - if you don't know whether to believe all of this, it'd be smart to ask a woman. A separate study indicated that when men and women were given a joint project to work on, the men who asked their partners' opinions and considered their views were rated as more physically attractive than the men who were critical.
If these findings are accurate, one must wonder, why then is it considered the kiss of death if a blind date is described as "a really nice guy?" So maybe he'll turn out to be not so good-looking. If he's nice enough, he'll look better and better with time. The same presumably applies for women with good personalities.
by CNB