Men: Think about your closest male buddies. Now think about their significant others. Are they attractive? Or . . . well, uh . . . “not your type.”
A study found that men are more likely to be friends . . . if they do NOT share the same taste in women. (Maybe they’re just more likely to REMAIN friends.)
It was a fairly small-scale study, where 38 heterosexuals . . . half men and half women . . . were asked about the traits they preferred in a potential mate. Then they were shown photos of 20 members of the opposite sex, and were told to RANK THEM based on attractiveness.
Then, they were thrown into a speed-friending event, where they interacted with the other people in the study . . . men with men, and women with women.
They found that men were more likely to bond with other men that had DIFFERENT preferences in women. However, there was no noticeable trend among the women friending women.
It sounds like the men did NOT know how the other men completed the “attractiveness” survey. So, it isn’t like men were caught avoiding other men in the wild who have HOT significant others . . . it was more instinctual?
By the way, the most important traits that the men in the study picked as their preferences in a woman are: Interesting personality . . . sense of humor . . . and physical attractiveness.
For women, the most important characteristics in a man are: Friendliness, intelligence, and interesting personality.
“Yearly income” and “special non-work-related talents” were the LEAST IMPORTANT characteristics of a potential partner . . . for both male and female participants.
(PsyPost / Sage Journals)