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Study shows what attracts men to women |
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Thursday, 18 October 2007 |
by LINDSAY TIGAR
Lifestyles Editor
It’s a common rule of thumb to not go grocery shopping when you’re hungry, according to statssheet.com.
The hungrier you are, the more you will stray from your shopping list and the more money you will spend.
A study conducted by the National Academy of Science hypothesized the same conclusion in the dating market.
It proved that men will go more for what makes their mouth water rather than what they put on their ‘dating partner’ checklist.
 A study looks at women’s personalities when finding the “right one.” Alisha Park-Photo Illustration
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The study took 26 men and 20 women, ages 26 to early 40s, and asked
them to create a list of everything they looked for in a mate, from
healthiness, wealth, and family background to physical attraction.
They then were asked to participate in a form of ‘speed dating’ with
one another and decide whom they would like to continue seeing.
The study was limited to heterosexual couples only.
While the women followed their checklists, the men disregarded their
qualifications and based their decision primarily on physical
attractiveness, according to the study.
Freshman international business major Chris M. Garner was not surprised by the study’s conclusion.
“College is a good example of this,” Garner said. “You look at the
pretty girl in class and wonder what they’re like, not the unattractive
one.”
An article published about the study on MSNBC.com stated the science is
“confirming what most women know: when given the choice for a mate, men
go for good looks.”
However, sociology professor Cinthia Pratt disagrees, saying this hypothesis is not as widely established as it is socialized.
“There are cultural standards of beauty,” she said. “We are taught what is attractive and what is not attractive.”
Pratt believes although men might have chosen women who are considered
aesthetically- pleasing socially, they might not have made those
decisions without being influenced by others.
“I think what would cause [the result of the study] would be approval of the other men,” she said.
She also said women add to the equation because they play into the stereotypes of beauty.
“[Women] buy into fashion magazines, plastic surgeries, push-up bras,
and make-up,” she said. “We can’t place all the blame on men. We don’t
ask them to wear ‘penis pads’.”
Freshman political science major Nate H. Cook sees the study as incomplete.
“Looks are important, but if I had two girls, I would go with the
intelligent, mature girl over the showy, ditzy one,” he said. “I would
get along easier with someone who is mature and easy to get along with;
looks aren’t everything.”
The study’s intention was to show the differences in ‘laws of
attraction’ between heterosexual women and men and to discourage
typical stereotypes.
Pratt does not believe the study will change society’s standpoint if the social order isn’t willing to take it seriously.
“As long as we say ‘oh well, men can’t help it’ and women keep buying
into it, the cultural perspective will remain as it is,” she said.
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