What Do Men Look For in Women?

"I want her to be intelligent, cultivated, well mannered..." Who the heck believes all this crap, when the first things a man sees when he looks at a woman are boobs, legs and butt?

Even if we proudly call ourselves "Homo sapiens" ("Wise people"), we still behave like chimps when it comes to choosing a mate. At least this is the case with men.

A new research made at Indiana University by a team led by cognitive scientist Peter Todd found that even if men, to be politically correct claim otherwise, beauty is the main factor while women, much choosier, take care of their looks for security and commitment.

"This formula has served humans throughout time, with the model of choosy females reflected in most mammals," the team wrote.

"Evolutionary theories in psychology suggest that men and women should trade off different traits in each other, and when we look at the actual mate choices people make, this is what we find evidence for. Ancestral individuals who made their mate choices in this way -- women trading off their attractiveness for higher quality men and men looking for any attractive women who will accept them -- would have had an evolutionary advantage in greater numbers of successful offspring." said Todd.

The research was based on a speed-dating session in Germany, involving 46 subjects. Speed dating means sessions in which men and women participate in 3-5 minutes "mini dates" with up to 30 different people. The participants would point after that in a box on a card which possible partners they would like to see again.

They are a "microcosm where mate choices are made sequentially in a faster and more formalized fashion than in daily life." the researchers noted.

The subjects had to complete before a questionnaire revealing their ideal mate according to factors like physical attractiveness, present and future financial status, health and parenting qualities.

"Not surprisingly, participants stated they wanted to find someone who was like themselves -- a socially acceptable answer. But once the sessions began, the men sought the more attractive women and the women were drawn to material wealth and security, setting their standards according to how attractive they viewed themselves. Furthermore, while men on average wanted to see every second woman again, the women wanted to meet only a third of the men again." said Todd.

"Speed dating ... only captures the initial stage of the extended process involved in long-term mate choice. But that initial expression of interest is crucial for launching everything else." Todd added.

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