Eric Barker, a guy CH has linked to several times over the years because of his outstanding work compiling data-rich studies into the workings of the sexual market, has a new article in The Week titled ‘The Science of Sex: 4 Harsh Truths About Dating and Mating’.
The four harsh truths he lists and thoroughly corroborates with links to scientific studies will be very familiar to regular CH readers, as they all vindicate a number of Heartistian field observations of the flesh and blood dating world where men and women collide in hopeful union.
1) Those things we say we hate actually make us more attracted to people.
When someone plays hot-cold, keeps you guessing, makes you constantly uncertain?
Yeah, that makes you even more attracted:
Participants in the uncertain condition were most attracted to the men — even more attracted than were participants who were told that the men liked them a lot. Uncertain participants reported thinking about the men the most, and this increased their attraction toward the men.
Never listen to what a woman says; watch what she does. You ever wonder why women complain about equivocal men, when you yourself and every man you know are niceguys who never lead women on or play head games with women? Wonder no more. Women complain about these kinds of men because these are the men women choose to date and screw. They’re like children who complain about the sugar rush from eating lots of candy.
2) Yes, guys are pretty shallow.
The stereotypes are true: men want sex more than women and, yeah, guys are more likely to hit on girls with big boobs.
Men dig beauty.
Chicks dig power.
The rest is hamster nibbles.
3) Women can be quite dastardly too.
The science of sex tells us that the romantic comedies lie. Sex is an area where nice guys do finish last:
In one survey of men, Trapnell and Meston (1996) found that nice guys who were modest, agreeable, and unselfish were disadvantaged in sexual relationships. Men who were manipulative, arrogant, calculating, and sly were more sexually active and had a greater variety of sexual experiences and a greater number of sex partners. [Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy]
Women are very often attracted to bad boys like James Bond. In fact, research shows young women sometimes prefer out-and-out jerks:
In the end, young women may continue to claim that they find certain qualities in a “good guy” nice guy as highly desirable and that they want to be in a committed relationship with one man as their ultimate goal, but, at the same time, they seem content to spend “the meantime and in-between-time” going out with fun/sexy guys who may or may not turn into “jerks.”
For every Ray Rice who knocks a loving wife out, there’s a loving wife who chose to be with a Ray Rice. It takes two to tango. Someone tell that to Rod Dreher and Ross Douthat.
4) Little of the above will be changing anytime soon.
This is the science of sex, not the culture of it. Most, if not all, of these things are true around the world.
In a study of over 1000 participants in three dozen cultures it was consistently found that men are focused on looks and women on status:
Several standard sex differences replicated across cultures, including women’s greater valuation of social status and men’s greater valuation of physical attractiveness. [Personality and Individual Differences]
But we grow out of it, right? Nope.
Our tastes do not mature as we get older:
Findings suggest that although emerging adults believe that their peers’ mating desires change systematically over time, emerging adults’ self-reported mating desires vary little with age.
Unlike most other human attributes, the sexual preferences of men and women are remarkably uniform across the earth. Which makes sense. The sexual market is the one market to rule them all.
And we pretty much want the same thing throughout our lives, which must cause an amazing amount of pain for aging feminist beauties who are no longer able to cash in their prize assets for their hearts’ desire.
To recap:
Women say one thing but do another.
Male ambiguity, coyness, overconfidence and entitlement are sexy.
Men value female looks far above all other considerations.
Women value male social status above male looks.
Niceguys finish last.
Sexual desire is immutable.
[crypto-donation-box]
