Bad boys attract girls with risk, danger
Commentary
Anne Rebar
Issue date: 11/12/09 Section: TruLife
Colin Farrell, Jude Law and James Dean: all three men are as famous for their rugged good looks and tumultuous private lives as they are for the roles they perform. However, finding even one woman who doesn't drool over them (or some other rebellious Hollywood heartbreaker) is basically equivalent to finding the fountain of youth or the Holy Grail: impossible.
The saying "nice guys finish last" might be cliché, but it also has some truth to it. According to an article in New Scientist, two studies now point to what we have always suspected to be true - the "bad boys" do get the girls.
Peter Jonason and his colleagues at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces administered 200 college students personality tests designed to rank them for typical "bad boy" traits, like narcissism, callousness, deceitful behavior, extroversion and impulsiveness. They also posed questions about the students' relationships with women, including how many partners they have had and whether they actively sought long-term relationships or preferred brief affairs.
Not surprisingly, the men - this correlation was found only in males Â- whose personality tests showed they had a higher percentage of those "bad boy" traits had more partners and were more likely to seek short-term relationships or flings than their "nice guy" counterparts.
It seems that this pattern is not restricted to our own culture but can be found across the globe. David Schmitt of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., showed the same pattern in a survey of more than 35,000 people in 57 different countries.
Yet, there is still hope for all of those "good guys" out there. For example, researchers have noted that the "bad boys" get more girls because they tend to go for quantity over quality. And although their rebellious traits might attract girls in the beginning, they ultimately hinder chances of securing any lasting, long-term relationships.
Studies show that "bad boys" get more girls, but the real question is - why? Is it because girls enjoy unreturned phone calls, being cheated on and feeling manipulated? No, not really Â- I promise.
The saying "nice guys finish last" might be cliché, but it also has some truth to it. According to an article in New Scientist, two studies now point to what we have always suspected to be true - the "bad boys" do get the girls.
Peter Jonason and his colleagues at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces administered 200 college students personality tests designed to rank them for typical "bad boy" traits, like narcissism, callousness, deceitful behavior, extroversion and impulsiveness. They also posed questions about the students' relationships with women, including how many partners they have had and whether they actively sought long-term relationships or preferred brief affairs.
Not surprisingly, the men - this correlation was found only in males Â- whose personality tests showed they had a higher percentage of those "bad boy" traits had more partners and were more likely to seek short-term relationships or flings than their "nice guy" counterparts.
It seems that this pattern is not restricted to our own culture but can be found across the globe. David Schmitt of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., showed the same pattern in a survey of more than 35,000 people in 57 different countries.
Yet, there is still hope for all of those "good guys" out there. For example, researchers have noted that the "bad boys" get more girls because they tend to go for quantity over quality. And although their rebellious traits might attract girls in the beginning, they ultimately hinder chances of securing any lasting, long-term relationships.
Studies show that "bad boys" get more girls, but the real question is - why? Is it because girls enjoy unreturned phone calls, being cheated on and feeling manipulated? No, not really Â- I promise.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
C.
posted 11/12/09 @ 10:42 AM CST
I think it's interesting you included James Dean in your opening. The true nature of his sexual orientation has been debated by many of his colleagues and biographers, and the consensus seems to be if he weren't exclusively homosexual, he certainly did experiment with men on some level or another. (Continued…)
Robert
posted 11/13/09 @ 5:39 PM CST
I think the "bad boys" notion may be true, but misunderstood. I suspect that there is a natural attraction (by women) to men who are "alpha males". That is, men who have strength, who are not "followers", etc. (Continued…)
Attract Men
posted 2/21/10 @ 10:45 PM CST
I agree, the bad boys thing really works. Women love it when men are assholes and pretty much the macho man out there.
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