Out Of Your League?
What is it about some guys that makes them think they can get any beautiful woman they meet?
Believe it or not, that’s a question researchers at Williams College in Massachusetts wanted to explore. For example, they wondered how realistic the characters are on hit TV shows like “The Big Bang Theory,” where one of the nerdy looking guys imagines himself as a “babe magnet” any time an attractive woman looks his way.
Do guys really think that way? According to a new study, the answer’s a big “yes!” In the study, researchers invited a group of men and women to rate their own attractiveness. Then, the men and women were randomly paired off in a series of one-on-one chats, sort of like in a speed-dating scenario and after each conversation, participants were asked to rate the other person’s attractiveness, as well as the other person’s interest in them. The result? Time and time again, guys who rated themselves as “less attractive” were more likely to think attractive women were into them! And the more attractive the woman was, the more likely the guy was to overestimate her interest in him.
So, what’s going on? The researchers at Williams College say the results make sense from a survival standpoint.
The thinking is that if you’re not a “10” in the looks department, then you’re going to have to try harder to find a mate and the more you try, the better your odds will be of getting a date.
That’s why researchers say one of the takeaways here is that women should save the flirty behavior for guys you’re truly interested in. Because as this study shows, if a less attractive guy sees you showing the slightest bit of interest in him, he’s bound to think he has a chance with you, and he’ll run with it.
Do guys really think that way? According to a new study, the answer’s a big “yes!” In the study, researchers invited a group of men and women to rate their own attractiveness. Then, the men and women were randomly paired off in a series of one-on-one chats, sort of like in a speed-dating scenario and after each conversation, participants were asked to rate the other person’s attractiveness, as well as the other person’s interest in them. The result? Time and time again, guys who rated themselves as “less attractive” were more likely to think attractive women were into them! And the more attractive the woman was, the more likely the guy was to overestimate her interest in him.
So, what’s going on? The researchers at Williams College say the results make sense from a survival standpoint.
The thinking is that if you’re not a “10” in the looks department, then you’re going to have to try harder to find a mate and the more you try, the better your odds will be of getting a date.
That’s why researchers say one of the takeaways here is that women should save the flirty behavior for guys you’re truly interested in. Because as this study shows, if a less attractive guy sees you showing the slightest bit of interest in him, he’s bound to think he has a chance with you, and he’ll run with it.
