Decoding Love - Andrew Trees [86]
And don’t get too cocky about your greater verbal skills because they are also an Achilles’ heel. Women are far more likely to pore over conversations with men trying to tease out the nuances of what they said and to have long, detailed conversations with their friends about the man in question. This is not necessarily a good idea, and it also helps explain the success of the book He’s Just Not That Into You. Instead of attempting painstaking analysis, keep that skeptical attitude, and see if his actions demonstrate the same level of commitment as his words.
You don’t need to be a girly girl. Just as women like men who show both masculine and feminine qualities, men like women who show both qualities as well.
If you can’t decide whether you need a facial or more time at the gym, hit the gym. Studies show that men care more about a great body than a great face. A woman with an unattractive body gets a lower attractiveness score than a woman with an unattractive face.
Toss out the rice crackers, and treat yourself to a cheeseburger. Despite the inhuman thinness of runway models, studies show that men prefer women who are a normal weight, rather than overly thin, and also that women overestimate how skinny men want them to be. Research also shows that women think hygiene and cleanliness are more important to men than they actually are, so if you are really bold, you can lighten up on your bathing regimen as well.
If you are worried about your weight but don’t really want to diet, wear a spicy floral perfume fragrance. In one study, women who wore a perfume with that profile were judged on average to be twelve pounds lighter. No other scent had the same effect.
Imitate Rapunzel, and grow your hair long. According to a recent study, men rated the faces of women as prettier when they were surrounded by medium or long hair with the biggest gains for women who were the least attractive. Or you can use your haircut to signal your personality. Men viewed women with longer hair as healthy, intelligent, and mature, while women with short hair were seen as youthful, honest, and caring.
Speak with a high-pitched voice. Men find it more appealing. Well, within reason. You don’t need to shatter any crystal glasses.
Wear lipstick. In one study, men’s first impression of a woman’s attractiveness was much higher when the woman wore lipstick.
You don’t have to worry that much about what you wear because men certainly don’t. When men were shown pictures of women who were very attractive, moderately attractive, or unattractive, they were always interested in having sex with the moderately and very attractive, regardless of how they were dressed, and no amount of dressing up changed their level of interest in the unattractive women.
Forget all those ridiculously sized breasts staring out at you from men’s magazines. Your breasts are probably fine the way they are. Men prefer women with a medium bust, despite what cultural stereotypes suggest.
Feel free to act confused when faced with any sort of complicated machinery like a stapler. According to studies, men want to help women by actively solving problems for them.
It’s not a bad idea to downplay your love of Heidegger and play up your fondness for Hello Kitty. Men value intelligence and ambition but only if they do not exceed their own ambition and intelligence. One study of speed dating, for example, revealed that men were much less likely to choose a woman who was more ambitious than they were.
Although you may have a bankroll like a hip-hop mogul, don’t flash the Benjamins. Studies show that men prefer to be the main breadwinner