Myth or Fact?
Men choose a mate based on looks while women choose a mate based on how rich they are.
We’ve been told for years that the statement above is more fact than myth, but researchers have found that despite what women and men SAY they want, when it comes to what they are ACTUALLY attracted to, both sexes choose looks over financial status.
This work, conducted by co-author Paul W. Eastwick and Eli J Finkel, doctoral candidates in the department of psychology at Northwestern University, is published in the February issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
That’s not to say a prospect’s earning power was deemed irrelevant. In fact, after appearance, both men and women showed equal interest in good earning potential and ambition, the study found.
The co-authors suggest that it could be that men and women don’t really know what they want in a partner. Or, perhaps both sexes tend to engage in faulty role-play, taking cues from popular culture and gender myths when drafting their own idealized views of a mate.
That explains why I found dating so challenging.
