Do men really want smart independent women? Or, are they threatened by them?
There have been many studies on this subject that proved that men are most likely lying when they say they want an intelligent and strong woman by their side. They may be fascinated with the picture of her, but the number of men who would actually date her is very small.
One study comes from researchers at the California Lutheran University, the University of Texas, and the University of Buffalo. The researchers asked men whether they would be comfortable to date a woman who was more intelligent than them.
Almost 90% of the men said that they don’t bother dating a woman who is smarter than them. However, when they saw the women’s IQ scores, they were no longer as interested as they were initially. They actually preferred to date a woman who was less intelligent than them.
So, the researchers came to a conclusion that even though men claim to want strong and smart women, they lie.
Psychology Today has offered some excellent reasons why this happens.
Namely, men are attracted to women who they think are more intelligent and more successful than they are, but only if they are at a physical and psychological distance from them. When they are close to these women, men cease to be attracted to them, and they prefer women who are not so intelligent.
According to Park and her colleagues, there is something about being physically close to a woman who is outperforming herself that is threatening and decreases the male ego and his sense of masculinity. This doesn’t happen when the woman is distant from the man.
All in all, sometimes men let their ego to get the best of them and they stop themselves from dating smart women. The female intelligence seems to be a threat to the male ego.
Of course, not all men are threatened by intelligent women. Also, if you are a smart woman, this doesn’t mean that you should dumb yourself down just because you are intimidating to some men. Some will be lucky to have you, so never settle.
SOURCES:
HTTP://JOURNALS.SAGEPUB.COM/DOI/ABS/10.1177/0146167200262001
HTTP://AWARENESSACT.COM/STUDIES-SHOW-THE-MALE-EGO-IS-THREATENED-BY-INTELLIGENT-WOMEN/
