Men Pretend To Like Intelligent Women – But Actually Fear Them

Amal ClooneyAmal Clooney

If asked, men will often say that they find high-achieving, intelligent women attractive.

But when it comes to actually going on dates, the reverse is true.

A study of 105 men published in the journal ‘Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin’ found that men are intimidated by the prospect of a romantic partner more intelligent than them.

Psychologists from the University of Texas, Austin, found that men gave different answers depending on whether they were rating a woman as attractive, or actually considering a date with her.

In the first part of the test, men were asked to rate the attractiveness of women who they were told had outperformed them on intelligence tests.

‘Men formed favorable impressions and showed greater interest in women who displayed more (versus less) intelligence than themselves,’ the authors wrote.

But that changed when the men were asked to pick women they might actually date.

The men ‘distanced themselves more from her, tended to rate her as less attractive, and showed less desire to exchange contact information or plan a date with her.’

The authors say, ‘Feelings of diminished masculinity accounted for men’s decreased attraction toward women who outperformed them.’


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