Issue date: 4/23/08 Section: News

Women at Sacramento State should seek less eye-catching men, researchers of the University of Tennessee concluded.

Published in February in the Journal of Family and Psychology, the study shows that women and men both experience better relationships when the woman is more attractive than the man.

James McNulty of the University of Tennessee led the study, along with other researchers, according to LiveScience.com. McNulty claims that men tend to place more value on how a woman looks, while women tend to look at the economic standing of a potential life-long mate. Women also seek a man who is seen as a good father for their future children.

McNulty could not be reached for comment.

The research included 10 minutes of taping 82 newlywed couples who had been together for about three years before they got married. During the research, there were special "coders" who rated the wives in order to assess whether the male was less attractive or not.

According to LiveScience.com, the research states that one-third of the couples who attended had a more attractive wife, one-third had a more attractive husband and one-third had equal looks. The couples with the more attractive wives seemed to be interacting the best way with one another through positive responses when a problem occurred within the relationship.

There may be a universal understanding to how a man may choose his wife, said Patty Woodward, human sexuality professor at Sac State.

"Men tend to choose a woman who is better looking than them, and has the ability to carry their children," Woodward said. "They have an innate sense to find a woman with child-bearing hips or the physical stature to carry a child."

Men may not think that they look for attributes such as "child-bearing hips," but studies have shown that they do, she said. Similarly, women may not think they look for a "father-like" figure.

"With women, interestingly enough, there is a biological component to find a man who is a good provider or husband," she said.

Society often bases attractiveness on culture and media, she said.

"Somebody as beautiful as Angelina Jolie is still air-brushed in pictures and that makes it seem like to be a beautiful woman, you have to be more than perfect."

America is one of the most looked-to nations that many other nations mimic, so everybody's perception of "beautiful" is based on what the media tells them it is, she said. This can also be true when it comes to relationships and who a person may choose, Woodward said.

Lisa Harrison, associate professor of psychology at Sac State, said she thinks that those who are seeking a significant other tend to look for somebody who has looks that are either close to or at the same level of attractiveness as them.

Senior business major Marcelle Gonzales said she thinks that the findings of this research are not surprising.

"If you have ever seen a commercial with a family and seen the husband and wife, you can see that the wife is always way more attractive than the husband. It seems like society gives off this impression that ugly men can get any woman they want," Gonzales said. "This gives the idea that women have to settle for just any guy. We need to upgrade."

Agreeing with Gonzales, Woodward said the way a husband or wife is chosen is based on how society and the media think a person should pick a prospective soul mate.

Woodward said that there is no solution to finding a perfect husband or wife.

"We choose based on chemistry and heart. You are not better off with somebody who is less or more attractive than you," she said. "There is no formula; it is all individual."

Other students felt differently on the assessment of physical attributes and its relevance in relationships.

"I think being happy is subjective," said senior child development major Brittney Stenson. "This research doesn't really tell me anything, because I think that it is human nature to want to look at something that is attractive or appealing to yourself, so why would a pretty girl want to be with an ugly guy? It doesn't make sense."

Sophomore undeclared major Nicci Evens said she feels physical attractiveness has never been what she solely seeks in a relationship.

"I look for somebody who is funny and has a great personality. Looks are important, but if a guy has a great personality and makes me laugh, then most girls, including myself, will find him way more attractive," she said. "That is what attracted me to my boyfriend."

Through the research, McNulty demonstrated that men who are with women who are more attractive than themselves tend to give more effort toward a relationship.

"The husband who's less physically attractive than his wife is getting something more than maybe he can expect to get," McNulty told LiveScience.com. "He's getting something better than he's providing at that level, so he's going to work hard to maintain that relationship."

The results of this research, according to LiveScience.com, suggest that looks are not an important factor for women. However, they do play a role in how a relationship may turn out: Men tend to find an attractive woman, while women tend to find a man who is not as physically attractive as they are.

Vanessa Johnson can be reached at vjohnson@statehornet.com.

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