Do young women prefer dating jerks or nice guys?
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Pulled from the paper:
So, are young women both attracted to and repelled by nice guys? Do young women prefer dating “jerk” guys rather than “nice” guys? The answers to these questions are yes and no. It depends. The results of this study seem to indicate that young women equate nice guys who are physically attractive, funny/witty, strong, confident, romantic, exciting, and someone their friends would like with “good guys,” but that being perceived as sweet/nice has the potential to turn that same nice guy into a “too nice,” “loser guy.” Young women appear to see fun/sexy guys as general purpose dating partners especially during the experimental phase, and they may be more willing to favor his personality traits over those of a nice guy when (they think) their perceptions of fun/sexy guy have been confirmed by their friends. However, dating a nice guy may require a more serious attitude toward dating from young women and more confidence in their own ability to judge another’s character accurately. Experience is usually the best teacher in social situations such as dating. And, finding a “good guy” prince among several possible “nice” suitors may necessitate kissing a lot of “loser” frogs—something that recreational dating young women simply may not have the time, patience, or inclination to do. In the end, young women may continue to claim that they find certain qualities in a “good guy” nice guy as highly desirable and that they want to be in a committed relationship with one man as their ultimate goal, but, at the same time, they seem content to spend “the meantime and in- between-time” going out with fun/sexy guys who may or may not turn into “jerks.”
Source: “Young Women’s Dating Behavior: Why/Why Not Date a Nice Guy?” from Sex Roles, Vol. 53, Nos. 5/6, September 2005
I’ve addressed another study on this subject here.
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