There are certain common beliefs which try to distinguish between the motivating factors determining the attraction quotient in a man and a woman. The two common factors among them are attractive looks and earning power. The tradition belief says that women are primarily attracted with earning power of a man and a man is motivated by good looks of a woman. These two factors still hold well in the modern society too.A recent study compiled by two Northwestern University psychologists however suggests that the gender differentiation however doesn’t play a very prominent role in getting motivated by the two factors of attraction and earning power. In reality both men and women are equally inspired by either the good looks or the earning potential of his or her partner.

The study “Sex Differences in Mate Preferences Revisited: Do People Know What They Initially Desire in a Romantic Partner?” was conducted by Paul Eastwick, a graduate student in psychology in the ‘Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences’ and Eli Finkel, assistant professor of psychology at Northwestern.

Carried out over a period of month, they closely examined the romantic lives led by the participants around a series of speed dating events. They found differences between what people said and did while choosing their partners in a romance.

During the initial study, the stereotyped notions about the earning power of a man and good kooks of a women seem to be carrying truth and relevance however later when the authors compared the participants’ preferences based on their live romantic interactions with the ideal sex-differentiated preferences reported 10 days before the speed-dating event, gave an altogether a different picture. They found that the affect of good looks and the earning power of a partner don’t differ with men and women so distinctly.

The study carried out by the speed dating methodology provided an opportunity to the researchers to make a clear comparison between the stereotyped preferences with the actual choice the participants made during the serried of romantic affairs. Finkel says “We found that the romantic dynamics that occurred at the speed-dating event and during the following 30-day period had little to do with the sex-differentiated preferences stated on the questionnaires”.

The speed-dating methodology allowed the Northwestern researchers to observe beyond the reasons given by people which are often a reflection of the popular cultural notions to explain their behavior in a romantic situation. The romantic ideals associated with the choice of a partner were not exactly pursued by the participants led to question to know what they initially value in a romantic partner. The physical attractiveness, ambition and the earning status of a partner holds well in both the cases of men and women.

It credited the men’s preference to the beauty and physical attractiveness in women while choosing a partner to the age old notions of seeking health, fertility and preservation of the gene pool. Being attractive is just as good for one’s romantic prospects as being a good earner.

Articles/News published in here are unique and property of the site only. Copying Content or Publishing Article from AllinfoDir HealthInfo is strictly not allowed and against Site’s policy.