New Study: Louisiana Ladies Are Just as Attracted To Looks as Men
There has long been an assumption that men are shallow when it come to what attracts them. As a man, I can not argue that my gender seems to follow the whole "You dine with the eyes first" approach to finding a potential mate. The other side of that assumption is, of course, that women look for something much deeper. The personality, sense of humor - you know, things you can't see from across a Shreveport club or Festival Plaza.
The thing is, that's not actually true. Not the part about guys going for looks first and everything else second - that's 100% on the nose. The part that blew me out of the water was that a recent study revealed that, on average, girls are looking for a pretty face and a smokin' body just as much as the guys are.
Research coming out of the University of Southern Indiana indicates that the way women choose their mates may be now shifting towards the physical. According to the report from PsyPost, 265 undergraduate students participated in the study that examined what qualities they were looking for in a potential mate. They answered a battery of questions about their workout habits (how often, how long, etc.). They were also asked to complete a Mate Value Inventory (MVI), which helped researchers determine what traits dominated the subjects search for their “ideal” sexual partner.
The results showed that individuals that worked out 4 or more times a week had a pretty high opinion of themselves (or, how they viewed their own MVI) - which in turn lead them to seek out a mate with a very high MVI. On the other end of that spectrum, researchers found that participants who didn't work out very often (or at all) sought out a partner with a lower MVI. This is commonly referred to as "playing in your own league."
One of the most stunning discoveries, however, was what the average female in this group classified as "valuable" in relation to their personal MVI. After all of the data was crunched, they found that there were "...no significant differences between men and women in their preference for their mates’ physical appearance." Basically, both men and women decide if they are attracted to a person based almost exclusively from what we see. If they pass that particular litmus test, the rest of the MVI can be evaluated.
At the end of the day, looks will only get you so far. Your winning personality needs to be on point - this study just solidifies the hypothesis that wrapping paper is just as important as the gift inside.
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