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A new study reveals some surprising information about what men and women find attractive in a partner, and whether romance is driven by finding the perfect match or by taking advantage of what's on the shelf.
Researchers at the University of Essex followed thousands of singles at speed-dating events in Britain and studied the characteristics of those who proved most popular. They found that hair colour, contrary to popular belief, had no effect on how full people's dance cards were -- calling into question who really has more fun.
"The stereotype of the blond woman or man is unfounded in our data," said Marco Francesconi, an economics professor who co-authored the study with Michele Belot.
The finding that men gravitate toward women who are young and thin while women prefer men who are young (but not younger than themselves) and tall comes as no shock, but the study also uncovered surprisingly pronounced effects from certain characteristics.
An added year on a speed-dater's age meant a five per cent reduction in the number of positive responses received, and an additional five centimetres on a man's height upped his chances of getting a second date by 10 per cent.
Women are much choosier than men, he said.
Men give twice as many potential partners the thumbs-up (five at an average speed-dating event); women are more likely to select someone they know has also picked them.
Ultimately, Francesconi and his partner found that people's romantic choices are determined more by the opportunities available to them than by any strong preferences. For instance, daters would consider professionals the hot commodity in a group that included lots of them. But they would be just as happy to pick blue-collar individuals if there weren't a lot of lawyers and executives in the crowd.
"The title of the study is Can anyone be The One?" Francesconi said. "And the answer is yes, maybe."
Francesconi admits to being surprised by the opportunism revealed in the study, but speculates that if society encouraged more social mixing, people might find love in some unexpected places.
That's the basic idea behind companies that stage speed-dating events.
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