Men & women are different!

In other research, arboreal ursine defecation unveiled!

Paris, because she's "surveyed" a few chaps in her time.

"Ladies reap additional benefit from their random approach to finding men attractive, as in general they don't face competition - their possible rivals probably favouring something quite different in the boyfriend line than what they may have snared themselves."

In my (limited) experience, there's nothing that women like as much as a man who is already showing that he can be a satisfactory partner by being one.

...Go gay: "We're only picky if you're ugly."

Research into the male angle:

5 mins down the pub and the results are in. 'hourglass figure and a smile (preferably a sly/dirty one)

Research into the female angle:

maybe 20 million years and still ongoing....

And that's mainly because they don't know themselves what they want.

PH - well I find her attractive at any rate (as long as she keeps her mouth shut anyway).

I wonder how much of the apparent conformity amongst males is down to societal conformity, rather than actual personal preferences. Maybe the study would be better conducted using FMRI rather than asking the volunteers which they preferred?

The researchers made the mistake of assuuming the primary factor in attractiveness for females is physical looks. After all, to boost the response for a particular blokes photo, all they would have to do is take a snap of him in doctor's uniform, holding a large wad of cash, and some suitably sparkly jewelry ready for his "beloved", and I'm sure the majority of the women polled would put him top of their list even if he was a hairy, buck-toothed dwarf

/OK, Mrs B, no need to push, I'm going!

Why is it "bad news all round" for the blokes? Surely the point is that however butt-ugly you are, somewhere out there there's a lass that'll take a shine to you?

...I just dont seem to have it. I look in the mirror and what I see looks ok, but sometyhing must be wrong, and I am not a hairy buck toothed dwarven Doctor either.

IT angle? Mention computers on a first date and she'll exit so fast she'll meet herself coming in.

Just ask women to rate men based on salaries. You probably wouldn't even need pictures...

This whole thing seems like the worst kind of evolutionary psychology "just so" story.

If there's an evolutionary advantage to women in having different preferences (less likely to lose your mate to a competitor), why doesn't the same logic apply to men? Why haven't men evolved to prefer a wide variety of physical types? In fact, that logic would predict that the effect would be much STRONGER for men since when it comes to propagating genes to the next generation, the scarce and valuable resource is wombs. If you prefer the same "type" as all the other men, you lower your chance of reproducing while increasing your chance of being tricked into raising somebody else's spawn -- the worst possible outcome as far as your genes are concerned.

This kind of post facto "any outcome can be explained" nonsense is exactly why evolutionary psychology struggles to be taken seriously as a science.

Mum! :-)

Or the casual female acquaintances I have when I'm at home.

You better not be making slurs against north-easterners!? Jacqui and Tracey - you're pure class (not in the mackem sense) your family are!

that, in Western society at least, women are the sexual predators now and have been for the last 2 decades.

Let's face it guys, they enjoy sex more then we do. What we've got left to enjoy is to beat the shit out of each other: A Fight / Religious Club.

'Mention computers on a first date ...' Made me laugh that. I've used 'Do you like maths?' to ward off any unwanted predators. I'm very picky when I'm focussing on my pint of cider.

I like big b*tts and I cannot lie.

Mine's the one with the iPod Shuffle full of Sir Mix-a-Lot

Who is going to cook and do the dishes? You'r enot paying that whore enough

We just like to confuse the hell out of you guys.

Girls don't like boys, girls like cars and money!

As long as PH keeps her mouth SHUT? I would limit it to as long as she doesn't talk...

OK, OK, I'm leaving...

Yes, I can vouch for that, women are attracted to men who other women want, i.e. men who are already married.

My experience is that women are typically just as shallow as men - they just won't admit it (often) :-)

Actually, women don't understand women either. I can't count the number of times shop assistants have tried to help my wife choose something and she says "I don't know how she thinks she can help when I dont know what I'm looking for yet".

Sorry to be boring, but someone has to say it - just "be yourself".

The cliché about womens' attitude to so-called geeks can safely be ignored. Just don't push the subject of IT down people's throats if they are clearly not interested is all - men OR women. Your pet cat is not likely to be interested in the subject either, get over it (no pun intended). Why not simply find out what it is that your present company want to chat about and go with that?

If you're a geek you are presumably 'intelligent' enough to figure this out for yourself, to learn about body language (it's just another type of code, yes?) etc. You shouldn't feel that geekiness is some sort of disability.

What you do require in this life is self-belief. The first step on the road to this seemingly impossible goal is to analyse the many clichés (see aforementioned example) and understand how often they may have a vague application to certain other groups of individuals - yet do not apply to you yourself.

Dismiss them. Accept yourself, warts and all. If possible, be proud of your warts.

Do what your told.

Do some housework at least 25% of the time.

Give up the odd Saturday for above chores.

If you're in an argument, give up, 'cos you'll never win it, not matter if 100% right.

No matter how minute the embarrassing thing you did is, she'll remember it forever, but forget the most embarrassing thing she ever did, 5 mins after it happened.

Woman are better than us, mentally stronger than us! Spare a thought for us blokes with lots of female offspring! We get the pain of seeing it form, from early practised beginnings to the brain-melting fruition of woman in her full stride! ( There has to be some sort of retriement home somewhere for Dads of girls, surely? )

No thanks, bring on the chubby birds!

"The prof thinks that the possibly excessive amount of time spent by modern women becoming as thin and seductive as possible is actually well worthwhile, as simple-minded men will almost all react positively to the results."

... ASSuming you see the catching of a simple-minded man as a "worthwhile" result. Hmm.

Well...

A slightly more likely evolutionary model would have women preferring a strong, reliable, dependable and secure (possibly boring, dumpy, bald) man to act as the head of their household / protector / provider.

The chap who actually contributes the genes for the offspring, on the other hand, might be selected on entirely different criteria. Attractiveness, abilities in the sack etc.

Hence, one might assume, the evolution of the bit-of-rough-on-the-side.

(Don't blame me. I got it from some Richard Dawkins tome or another...)

I'm mid 30s. Look mid 20s (maybe its being single ages you less). I earn approx 90K a year. I am reasonably attractive looking, swimmers build. I have fast cars, nice motorbike.. I sky dive, scuba dive, fly my own aircraft.

All in all, I'd have thought I was a decent catch.

However most women seem to think I am either gay, or 'need to cheer up' (I just naturally look bored)

fecking moon on a stick then want... moon on a feckin stick!!!

So, when the only information supplied was some photos, i.e. images of physical features, men's judgement was "based primarily around physical features". Really? They didn't base their choice on something other than the information given?

Only conclusion is that if you ask a man to do something simple he does it, as asked. Ask a woman to do something simple......

Yep, we are different, and viva la difference!

Mine's the one with the "simple and proud" badge...

Lots of empirical research (with chimps amongst others) to back it up. Women's preferences for men changes over the menstrual cycle. Add to that a suggested link between immune systems and the smell of sweat (inverted by the pill, apparently). Plus lots of research to be done on how much of a pack animal we actually are.

So no one really knows but being confident in yourself seems to help both sexes, always.

I don't get that one at all. Are you men, or are you mice?

Yes, dear.

@AC - 14:48 GMT - There has to be some sort of retriement home somewhere for Dads of girls, surely?

Don't call me Shirley. And yes, it's out with the sheep.

To sum up the research:

Women are indecisive.

Ouch!

"I'm mid 30s. Look mid 20s (maybe its being single ages you less). I earn approx 90K a year. I am reasonably attractive looking, swimmers build. I have fast cars, nice motorbike.. I sky dive, scuba dive, fly my own aircraft. ... All in all, I'd have thought I was a decent catch."

Not sure about that. I hate you already and I have only just met you.

I never thought you were one for reporting the bleedin' obvious.

As for girls, well they're liars of course. I'm sorry, but I have yet to witness any comedians dating supermodels, which they must all be doing if it's true that a sense of humour is more important than physical attractiveness. Surely the funnier the guy the more attractive his girl, right? No. Because universally, comedians look like arse and couldn't score with other comedians that also look like arse.

Every guy willing to tell the truth knows that only the preened Adonis of their school year got the girls they secretly lusted after. And he did so despite being caught cheating on them a dozen times with anyone else who caught his eye.

So there you have it. That's everything men understand about women - they lie about what attracts them and they are mean when they have periods. Apart from those gems we haven't got a fucking clue because we don't understand a species that doesn't use the actual words they mean. Men we say what we mean, even if we're lying. To translate us, you read what we said.

If we say "I want a beer" it means "I want a beer" and not "I need to be drunk to be in the same room as you". If we wanted to say that we'd say "I need to be drunk to be in the same room as you" and believe me, we're more than stupid enough to say it.

To translate woman-speke you need another woman.

/soapbox

@Sabine, no offense, you do a damn good job!

@ el Reg: You mean to tell me someone actually commissioned this study to be done?!?! For real money?!?! Who are these people, because I've got some compelling theories on exactly which shade of blue the sky is, when it's clear, that I'll be happy to share with them for $100,000.