Why Do Beautiful Women Sometimes Marry Unattractive Men?

OhDear · 01-31-2008, 02:09 PM

The following is an article from 2006. I just now read it and found it amusing.

I will also supply the link which gives way to 70 comments by readers.

OhDear

Quote:

August 2, 2006, 9:44 am Why Do Beautiful Women Sometimes Marry Unattractive Men?

By Stephen J. Dubner
It may be that the unattractive man has a lot of money, or some other compelling attribute.
But a new study by Satoshi Kanazawa, an evolutionary psychologist at the London School of Economics, suggests it may be a simple supply-and-demand issue: there are more beautiful women in the world than there are handsome men.
Why? Kanazawa argues it’s because good-looking parents are 36% more likely to have a baby daughter as their first child than a baby son — which suggests, evolutionarily speaking, that beauty is a trait more valuable for women than for men. The study was conducted with data from 3,000 Americans, derived from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, and was published in the Journal of Theoretical Biology.
According to this news article, “Selection pressure means when parents have traits they can pass on that are better for boys than for girls, they are more likely to have boys. Such traits include large size, strength and aggression, which might help a man compete for mates. On the other hand, parents with heritable traits that are more advantageous to girls are more likely to have daughters.”
Beauty is apparently just one “female” trait. Kanazawa has done previous research suggesting that nurses, social workers and kindergarten teachers — those with “empathic” traits — also had more daughters than sons. Meanwhile, he found that scientists, mathematicians and engineers are more likely to have sons than daughters.
It is good that Kanazawa is only a researcher and not, say, the president of Harvard. If he were, that last finding about scientists may have gotten him fired.
(Hat tip: Nadine Groney)

LINK

fxashun · 01-31-2008, 03:21 PM

I'll ask my wife.

Catus Felidae · 01-31-2008, 04:00 PM

So that we get more 'mirror' time.

OhDear · 01-31-2008, 04:15 PM

If I understood the article correctly, there is a perceived evolutionary process noted that the more physically attractive couples have daughters first.

Well my first husband and I had two sons first and then my second one, we had a daughter first.

I am still me, whatever that means...but I can't say that one or the other of those men was better looking than the other.

OhDear

garysher · 01-31-2008, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhDear

Well my first husband and I had two sons first and then my second one, we had a daughter first.

OhDear

What about the third fourth and fifth husbands?

garysher · 01-31-2008, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fxashun

I'll ask my wife.

5 points!

OhDear · 01-31-2008, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garysher

What about the third fourth and fifth husbands?

Fifth??? Why you surely have your numbers all wrong.

OhDear

fxashun · 01-31-2008, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhDear

If I understood the article correctly, there is a perceived evolutionary process noted that the more physically attractive couples have daughters first.

Well my first husband and I had two sons first and then my second one, we had a daughter first.

I am still me, whatever that means...but I can't say that one or the other of those men was better looking than the other.

OhDear

For what it's worth there OD, I'd play the beast to your beauty any day...

Well if you were like about 20 years younger and a few other stipulations. But from just looks tho, you'd definitely be the beauty I'd be seekin'.

I'm not known for my compliments as you can see.

OhDear · 01-31-2008, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fxashun

For what it's worth there OD, I'd play the beast to your beauty any day...

Well if you were like about 20 years younger and a few other stipulations. But from just looks tho, you'd definitely be the beauty I'd be seekin'.

I'm not known for my compliments as you can see.

Thank you Fx. I am all done with coupling myself to anyone ever again.

If I wasn't, a man with your integrity would be a plus. But like you wanting someone your own age, I am that way too...

OhDear

CrazyFlamingos · 01-31-2008, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OhDear

The following is an article from 2006. I just now read it and found it amusing.

I will also supply the link which gives way to 70 comments by readers.

OhDear

Amused is a good word for my reaction too. That and thought provoking.

I know a lot of couples who fit the profile. And one comes to mind that is the exact opposite.

She has a face that only a mother could love. And he is so handsome as to be almost pretty. Kind of a blond Pierce Brosnan. But they are both super nice people. And it seems to have worked for them for the last 30 years.