Study Claims Men Find 'Dumb-Looking' Women Attractive
Can't seem to hookup with a man? According to a new (and highly questionable) paper highlighted by Slate, it might be because you don't look dumb enough.
In a paper published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, University of Texas at Austin graduate student Cari Goetz and her team explored a so-called "sexual exploitability" hypothesis, which is basically the different ways men and women approach reproduction.
Researchers asked 194 undergrads to come up with characteristics they thought might make a woman more willing to engage in uncommitted sex which traits like "being promiscuous," and "being sleepy" (wtf?). Internet pictures of women who appeared to be displaying these characteristics were then shown to 76 men, who were asked to rate both the women's attractiveness (overall and as a short- and long-term partner) and how easy it would be to exploit them sexually.
Here's where it gets disturbing: In a second study led by grad student David Lewis, they attempted to determine the type of guys who are turned on by these sleepy, slutty women. It was found that promiscuous men were much more likely than their non-promiscuous peers to identify such women as exploitable and rate those exploitation-friendly qualities as attractive. These promiscuous men also tended to exhibit "deficiencies in personal empathy and warmth."
To sum it all up, the only types of guys who prey on "easy" women are generally assholes. While the study no doubt has its fair share of flaw, at least it offers a bit of relief to single ladies out there.
In a paper published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior, University of Texas at Austin graduate student Cari Goetz and her team explored a so-called "sexual exploitability" hypothesis, which is basically the different ways men and women approach reproduction.
Researchers asked 194 undergrads to come up with characteristics they thought might make a woman more willing to engage in uncommitted sex which traits like "being promiscuous," and "being sleepy" (wtf?). Internet pictures of women who appeared to be displaying these characteristics were then shown to 76 men, who were asked to rate both the women's attractiveness (overall and as a short- and long-term partner) and how easy it would be to exploit them sexually.
Here's where it gets disturbing: In a second study led by grad student David Lewis, they attempted to determine the type of guys who are turned on by these sleepy, slutty women. It was found that promiscuous men were much more likely than their non-promiscuous peers to identify such women as exploitable and rate those exploitation-friendly qualities as attractive. These promiscuous men also tended to exhibit "deficiencies in personal empathy and warmth."
To sum it all up, the only types of guys who prey on "easy" women are generally assholes. While the study no doubt has its fair share of flaw, at least it offers a bit of relief to single ladies out there.
