Posted on 12/21/2004 3:59:39 PM PST by beavus
ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Men are more likely to want to marry women who are their assistants at work rather than their colleagues or bosses, a University of Michigan study finds.
The study, published in the current issue of Evolution and Human Behavior, highlights the importance of relational dominance in mate selection and discusses the evolutionary utility of male concerns about mating with dominant females.
"These findings provide empirical support for the widespread belief that powerful women are at a disadvantage in the marriage market because men may prefer to marry less accomplished women," said Stephanie Brown, lead author of the study and a social psychologist at the U-M Institute for Social Research (ISR).
For the study, supported in part by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health, Brown and co-author Brian Lewis from UCLA tested 120 male and 208 female undergraduates by asking them to rate their attraction and desire to affiliate with a man and a woman they were said to know from work.
"Imagine that you have just taken a job and that Jennifer (or John) is your immediate supervisor (or your peer, or your assistant)," study participants were told as they were shown a photo of a male or a female.
After seeing the photo and hearing the description of the person's role at work in relation to their own, participants were asked to use a 9-point Likert scale (1 is not at all, 9 is very much) to rate the extent to which they would enjoy going to a party with Jennifer or John, exercising with the person, dating the person and marrying the person.
Brown and Lewis found that males, but not females, were most strongly attracted to subordinate partners for high-investment activities such as marriage and dating.
"Our results demonstrate that male preference for subordinate women increases as the investment in the relationship increases," Brown said. "This pattern is consistent with the possibility that there were reproductive advantages for males who preferred to form long-term relationships with relatively subordinate partners.
"Given that female infidelity is a severe reproductive threat to males only when investment is high, a preference for subordinate partners may provide adaptive benefits to males in the context of only long-term, investing relationships---not one-night stands."
According to Brown, who is affiliated with the ISR Evolution and Human Adaptation Program, the current findings are consistent with earlier research showing that expressions of vulnerability enhance female attractiveness. "Our results also provide further explanation for why males might attend to dominance-linked characteristics of women such as relative age or income, and why adult males typically prefer partners who are younger and make less money."
For more information on the ISR Evolution and Human Adaptation Program, visit: http://rcgd.isr.umich.edu/ehap/
How wonderful! Is this the first one?
Have you been causing the grades to drop?
Yep! 98% likely that it is a Girl.
I can't wait to buy her her first rifle. :)
Ya know darlin', it could have been as simple as they felt more sisterly towards you than spousy. Or it could have been that there were a few little things that made them think it wouldn't work out for the long haul. I know what are triggers for me (if he hates animals, the outdoors, thinks books are for evening out coffee table legs or gets all nudge-nudge/wink-wink with me about my dancing).
(I have come to realize that the male translation of "soul mate" is "A breathing non-bagger with 38 DD's")
Not necessarily. One of my "soul mates" was only of average attractiveness. Another one wasn't physically appealing to me at all, not in the slightest, so we were never more than friends.
Ok, I need to clarify this. I didn't mean gorgeous looks, just not road kill to look at and pleasant to talk to. A woman (OK, me) can date a guy, make happy enough small talk and know that that he isn't someone she wants to be around for a second date. They didn't connect on a deeper level (yes, we women do talk this way ;))
But (and this is just observation on my part) it seems that a guy will happily marry a woman that he only makes small talk with on a day to day basis. IOW, a woman (OK me) looks for a spiritual mate, but it seems men (at least some of the older guys around here) just want a companion so they aren't the dread word "alone".
Sadly, I know of two of these guys who are now appauled at the alien female they now have in their lives. Trade yourself cheaply and beggers rule. No sympathy from me >:>.
I envy you. I wish I could go back and do it all over again, knowing what I do now. But I can't. Love on them both a lot! Mxxx
What is GLC213? I was married to two subordinate women not at the same time. I did not realize how helpless and needy they were for a while. Both had dominate overbearing fathers. Both marriages fell apart due to their lack of self esteem and all that places on a man trying to love them. No kids with 1st wife and 2 kids with second wife. We did cooperate on raising the kids right after we were divorceb and they are both my daughter and son are successful adults now.
My third and final wife is strong, successful, confident, and loves her father. She is all woman and gives me the final say on most any impasse we may reach which is seldom. My daughter is like my third wife so much more than she is her mother. I belive that is because she was raised to be strong by a good father who told her from the beginning she could be whatever she wants to be. She is college grad and is now married to a young successful Christian Conservative Engineer who looks a little and acts alot like her dad. I have a good son-in-law. My son is a 23 year old with a masters in accounting and he is a butt just like me.
I'll take a strong woman over any other kind. By the way Hillary Clinton is not a strong woman she is a screeching haint. Big difference.
"go back and do it all over again, knowing what I do now"
Don't we all, but that would be cheating.
I'm not even sure HRC is from the same species as your strong!
oops...as your strong WIFE.
Doing just fine, how about you?
I've learned enough about myself and the relationships that make life enjoyable to know that I prefer to lead in the life-threatening stuff and the dance floor. If others prefer to follow their significant other, bonne chance!
You like your way; I like mine. And that's what makes the world go 'round. :o)
actually, it's angular momentum, but that's a tale for another day
What straight guy WOULDN'T? Doesn't every single man drea of a Lotus Dancer?
Not even from the same planet.
Well...not to discount your experience, but that wasn't the case for me or any of my male friends. After sexual attraction, being "equally yoked" spiritually was the next non-negotiable on all our "lists". In fact I think that my "deep" discussions (religion, politics, science, history, etc) may have "put off" a lot of shallower women who really only wanted small talk from the guys they dated.
Not my wife, though. She's a nerdophile, thank God.
or solar system
or galaxy
If that's Laz's personal preference, where's the problem??
Do you mean to imply the woman should never be deferential to the man in her life?
I mean even Hitlery Clinton understands that dynamic.
That means you won.
BURN!!!!!
See! I said she lets me win to preserve my dignity. She lets me have the TV remote at home too. She is a great lady.
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