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| Psychology professor: women go for money,
men go for looks |
by Kelly
Garren
Intern Writer
Recent sociological research may finally shed some light
on the curious differences in what men and women look for
in a mate.
Dr. Doris G. Bazzini, associate professor of psychology at
Appalachian State University, found through research that,
when it comes to attraction, women look for status, wealth
and power while men look for physical attractiveness in women.
Through experiments in which subjects were given nine cards
with pictures of the opposite sex they could potentially
meet on campus, Bazzini showed that men have a greater willingness
to sacrifice personality for looks than women do.
Appalachian junior, Heath S. Snyder, said he agrees with
Bazzini’s findings.
“I would say that, in general, women are definitely
more willing to sacrifice looks for personality than men,”
Snyder said.
“I value personality over looks because those are the
things that last,” freshman Lisa M. Courtney said.
“But I think that guys are created to value looks over
personality in general, however, I think that guys would
be willing to sacrifice certain things in the looks department
to have a girl with a great personality.”
Bazzini said there are two theories to explain the difference
between what men and women look for in a relationship.
“The first is the evolutionary argument. This would
say that men are driven by looks because their primary interest
is in the fertility of the female reproductive system.
"Women are more likely to be fertile the younger they
are thus youthfulness and attractiveness are generally associated
with each other, “ Bazzini said.
“The woman is the one who bears the child she is looking
for a man who will be able to help raise the baby, which
generally requires status, power and wealth,” Bazzini
said.
Bazzini said the second theory of attraction is based on
how the relationship helps an individual’s social standing.
The man may gain respect from his peers is he is with an
attractive woman, while women may gain status in society
by marrying a financially and socially stable man.
“I think that in their early years, girls are more
likely to go for the hot guys, but as they get older and
more mature, they are more willing to sacrifice looks for
personality or status,” junior Derrick W. Lail said.
While college students may think these findings do not apply
to them, Bazzini said that is not true.
“Aside from wealth and status there is another factor
that comes into play with attraction. The proximity factor
is huge. Contact on a regular basis with the opposite sex
often leads to a romantic relationship,” Bazzini said.
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