Psychologist have tried to determine what draws people to each other, sometimes so strong they vow to spend the rest of their lives together in front of hundreds of people. They've questioned where it's just "chemistry" and chance or is there some other significant driving factor? Many studies have been done and many of them can be traced back to the idea of natural selection and gender roles. Men have been found to weigh more heavily on physical appearance. Some psychologist have suggested this could be because they're looking for the most healthy and fertile women to reproduce with. Women on the other hand have been suggested to put more importance on financial resources. This could be because they're looking for men who can provide well for their off spring.
In the movie "The Vow" these gender sterotypes are exemplified perfectly with attraction. The main woman character Paige is expected by her family to marry a successful businessman Jeremy and is discouraged to pursue her career as an artist because that's not how her family views she should be doing with her life. The other man in the love triangle is Leo. Leo is looked down upon by Paige's family because he's in the music industry, which they see as a dying business and as extremely unsuccessful. Leo also encourages Paige to be an artist. Although, because it's a Hollywood movie Paige ends up with Leo and they're passionately in love and all ends happily ever after! This still supports some studies that found that even though there's slight difference in preferences among the sexes, both still think intelligence, dependability and kindness are important characteristics in a partner. I always enjoy a good romance movie so I provided a link to the trailer incase anyone else wants to see what the movie is about.
I really like your post! I think its does a good job of summarizing what men and women find important in a partner and I like how you tied your findings to the movie "The Vow." I enjoyed watching the movie, but I definitely think it challenged the notion that women only go for men with money, or someone who is financially secure. In the film Paige chooses Leo in the end even though he does not make a lot of money. Of course this is just a film, but I think that even though women might have a list of things they want in a partner, in the end most women are willing to compromise that list in order to find Mr. Right.
I agree with you hass0333. I do believe that the physical attraction influenced Leo to Paige. However, I don't think he would have pursued her if she did lead that stuck up kind of life before. He valued her creative personality as well as her commitment to him. As stated in lecture, men want women that don't leave them. He fought for it back and got it eventually, but I don't think men can create deep emotional bonds with just a hot woman. But you are absolutely right, physical attraction is a huge deciding factor early on for men in pursuing a possible mate.
Branching off of what the other two said, I think physical attractive definitely played a large role in this movie. I mean, Leo asks her out solely on impulse, basing his reasoning solely off of looks. I think one of the reasons Paige doesn't end up with Jeremy (aside from the whole Hollywood movie aspect) is because of reciprocity. She just can't seem to open up to him and take their relationship to the next level which is why she is driven back to Leo in the end.
I thought that this was a very interesting post. Although psychologists and researchers in the past have explained the attraction that certain people feel toward each other through the concept of natural selection, gender roles, and physical appearance, I believe that there is much more to it than that. I think that especially in this day and age, people who are in a relationship or who are searching to find somebody to spend their lives with understand the importance of finding somebody who you are compatible with and who has not only the physical qualities, but the personal qualities that you find attractive. In my opinion, it would be next to impossible to find somebody to spend your life with solely based on their appearance. Overall, I thought that this was a great post, and I enjoyed reading about the movie.
I really enjoyed reading this post. I did partially because of the fact that I was so excited when this movie came out! I agree with what the other comments stated about relationships and what they are like today. Gender roles continue to hold specific "traits" when people are looking for a relationship, but I feel that in the present day, that may not always be the case. Because people have become much more independent and not always so concerned about what others may think, I feel that plays a role into how relationships are. In "The Vow", they truly did have a happy ending, which makes me hope that is really possible in today's world!
LIke you talked about in the post, I found the part of the lecture interesting that talked about what we find attractive in mates and what we look for. It said we want a mate that are good providers and have good genes. Yes, this is what we look for in our dream guy or girl, but as it was mentioned, most of us need to make tradeoffs. But going off that, it is looks or first impressions that first attract us, and then personality that keeps us coming back! So in the end I don't think it's just the good physical genes that make the cut.
I enjoyed this blog entry and the lecture it is referencing, because I am interested in the deeply rooted preferences that have been observed explaining why men and women pick certain members of the opposite sex over the other. I agree with the assessment you have made that men might value physical appearance in women due to potential mating outcomes. However, I also think that there are more components to male thinking for that. For example, many men enjoy living the "bachelor" life and have no desire to slow down in their life course and get married/have children. This makes me wonder-- what do these types of men seek out in women and what is their reasoning behind it? Perhaps, men who do not want kids are more focused on seeking out women with higher levels of spontaneity and commitment issues in order to fulfill this need in their lifestyle.