Bad Guys Really Do Get The Most Girls

New Scientist ^ | 6-18-2008 | Mason Inman

[blam]

Bad guys really do get the most girls

18 June 2008
NewScientist.com news service
Mason Inman

NICE guys knew it, now two studies have confirmed it: bad boys get the most girls. The finding may help explain why a nasty suite of antisocial personality traits known as the "dark triad" persists in the human population, despite their potentially grave cultural costs.

The traits are the self-obsession of narcissism; the impulsive, thrill-seeking and callous behaviour of psychopaths; and the deceitful and exploitative nature of Machiavellianism. At their extreme, these traits would be highly detrimental for life in traditional human societies. People with these personalities risk being shunned by others and shut out of relationships, leaving them without a mate, hungry and vulnerable to predators.

But being just slightly evil could have an upside: a prolific sex life, says Peter Jonason at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces. "We have some evidence that the three traits are really the same thing and may represent a successful evolutionary strategy."

Jonason and his colleagues subjected 200 college students to personality tests designed to rank them for each of the dark triad traits. They also asked about their attitudes to sexual relationships and about their sex lives, including how many partners they'd had and whether they were seeking brief affairs.

“High 'dark triad' scorers are more likely to try to poach other people's partners for a brief affair”The study found that those who scored higher on the dark triad personality traits tended to have more partners and more desire for short-term relationships, Jonason reported at the Human Behavior and Evolution Society meeting in Kyoto, Japan, earlier this month. But the correlation only held in males.

[Old Sarge]

We’ve known this since those days in high school, so what else is new?

[#1CTYankee]

Bill Clintoon must have been a case study.

[fkabuckeyesrule]

...and then when he leaves her and their two out of wedlock children they then blame all their problems on George Bush...or Karl Rove...or Newt Gingrich...or Tom Delay....or Jerry Falwell...or whoever the republican devil of the moment is.

[popdonnelly]

“may represent a successful evolutionary strategy.”

Great. So we can look forward to a future of narcissists, psychopaths, and Machiavells.

[DoughtyOne]

Yep they get the most girls, the ones most of us would pass over anyway.

I didn’t get those girls and I’m not complaining one bit.

[Jeff Chandler]

I knew guys in high school who would tell younger girls that they loved them in order to take their virginity.

If that’s not evil, what is?

[baclava]

“We’ll just screw your wives and let you raise our offspring”.......must be working.

[Vision Thing]

clinton may have had a large quantity of women, but in his case, it never seemed to translate into hooking up with quality women. I will, however, throw the dog one little bone: Gennifer Flowers is hot!

[Jeff Chandler]

So we can look forward to a future of narcissists, psychopaths, and Machiavells.

(Politicians)

[DesScorp]

“Bad Boys get the girls”

In other news, scientists have discovered that sh*t stinks... story at 11.

[dfwgator]

clinton may have had a large quantity of women, but in his case, it never seemed to translate into hooking up with quality women.

He was no JFK, that's for sure.

[hinckley buzzard]

We’ve known this since those days in high school, so what else is new?

You are right, and it's not new. Within limits, women find male aggression sexually arousing. That's why the rascal Rhett Butler aced out the nice guy Ashley Wilkes. It always has been thus and always will be.

[Stentor]

So we can look forward to a future of narcissists, psychopaths, and Machiavells.

You must lead a sheltered life. Just jealous.

[johniegrad]

No one seems to be questioning the validity of narcissists self reporting on their sex lives.

[A_perfect_lady]

They come across as confident, exciting, and charming. Actually, I have never really fallen for "bad boys." I usually end up with nice but dull men who seem to think that I'm the confident, charming...

Uh oh. I just realized that *I'm* the psycho in my relationships.

Wow, that explains a lot...

[Blood of Tyrants]

Yep. Girls are always talking about wanting to meet a nice guy but insist on dating men they know are creeps.

[A_perfect_lady]

GASP!!! YOUR TAGLINE!! IT IS SO GOOD!! MUST TAKE!!

[Vision Thing]

Uh oh. I just realized that *I'm* the psycho in my relationships.

Even if this is true, please retain your FR screen name. I don't think I'd want to ever reply to someone named A_psycho_lady.

[xJones]

No one seems to be questioning the validity of narcissists self reporting on their sex lives.

That's true, it's like the old Emo Phillips line: "I'm a great lover - I'll bet."

It is appalling, though, the number of women that fall in love with convicted murderers on death row. I guess they figure it's safe to love them since they're locked up, and they can create their own little sick fantasies about them.