[Chefelf]

Brainy women face handicap in marriage stakes: British survey
Sun Jan 2, 3:43 PM ET

LONDON (AFP) - A high IQ is a hindrance for women wanting to get married while it is an asset for men, according to a study by four British universities published in The Sunday Times newspaper.

The study found the likelihood of marriage increased by 35 percent for boys for each 16-point increase in IQ.

But for girls, there is a 40-percent drop for each 16-point rise, according to the survey by the universities of Aberdeen, Bristol, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

The study is based on the IQs of 900 men and women between their 10th and 40th birthdays.

"Women in their late 30s who have gone for careers after the first flush of university and who are among the brightest of their generation are finding that men are just not interesting enough," said psychologist and professor at Nottingham University Paul Brown in The Sunday Times.

Claire Rayner, writer and broadcaster, said in the article that intelligent men often prefered a less brainy partner.

"A chap with a high IQ is going to get a demanding job that is going to take up a lot of his energy and time. In many ways he wants a woman who is an old-fashioned wife and looks after the home, a copy of his mum in a way."

http://news.yahoo.co...in_050102204340

This article just seems to imply something they are too afraid to come out and say: Men only care about boobs!

Thanks to Laura for this one.

[Slade]

What? That's offensive. I find myself compelled only toward intelligent women.

And we're not interesting enough? There's more to me then bodily noises, beer, and football. In fact, I prefer literature, wine, and music, if we're drawing comparisons... Stupid newspaper.

[Chyld]

*engages "Angry Single Guy" Mode*

"Women in their late 30s who have gone for careers after the first flush of university and who are among the brightest of their generation are finding that men are just not interesting enough,"

The feelings mutual, darling...

Claire Rayner, writer and broadcaster, said in the article that intelligent men often prefered a less brainy partner.

"A chap with a high IQ is going to get a demanding job that is going to take up a lot of his energy and time. In many ways he wants a woman who is an old-fashioned wife and looks after the home, a copy of his mum in a way."

1.) I'm assuming you can't get a combination of both in one woman then?

2.) A woman like my mum? Please, no...

Seriously, being a semi-modern guy, I'd like to think that I'd marry a girl for a better reason than "she can do my washing up while I'm at work"

[kdogg]

The study is based on the IQs of 900 men and women between their 10th and 40th birthdays.

Hmmm. Wonder what the likelihood of marriage was for the 10 year olds.

[Jen]

Oh, you guys, don't take it so seriously! They aren't saying that all men everywhere want a stupid and boobilicious lady (not that they necessarily go together) or that smart women are inherently unattractive -- they're just stating a fact: the numbers seem to show that the smarter the woman, the less likely it will be for her to marry.

And Chyld and Slade, I know you found Paul Brown's comments about women finding men not to be a challenge offensive, but I think he ought to at least get some points for thinking about the matter in a different way. After all, the reaction 90% of people and theorists have (including me, shamefully, the product of my environment) is that the smarter the woman gets, the less attractive she is to men, not the other way around. I say props to Prof. Brown for an alternate take on the matter.

[Laura]

Word, Jen.

I think that the viewpoints on marriage of intellectual, driven, and career-oriented women vs. similar men may come into play here. Women are historically expected to marry, have kids, and forget about careers or lives of their own. On the other hand, men have always been expected to marry AND have a career, so it's not like an either/or for them. Even in this day and age, there may be some women who feel deep down-- even if they don't believe it consciously-- that marrying will somehow subjugate them to a subordinate role, or make people think they're not serious about intellectual pursuits.

This post has been edited by Laura: 11 January 2005 - 06:24 PM

[barend]

in Sydney, that article would work if you swapped the genders...

i like intelligent girls...
intelligent girls like dumb fuckwits...
atractive dumb girls like even dumber fuckerwits...
then there are the few loverly girls that like intelligent fuckwits...


hmmm.... avoid Sydney women....

[Chyld]

I still say that the Registered Nice Guys get it in the ass these days, and if I don't shut my mouth now I'm going to be mistaken for Maddox.

Its annoying being exactly in my position, you deplore the dumb girls, the clever girls look straight down their noses at my appearence, and those not so superficial either like me as a friend, or...

Hey! Its ironic! I put up a news story about love, and Cheffers puts one up about no-love on the same day! Maybe the whole Universe might explode, that'd be cool...

[Laura]

I'd have a lot more sympathy with boys who are all "Oh, poor me, girls don't like nice guys" if it weren't for the fact that every single girl I know is with a nice guy.

[Slade]

Theorists say that as women grow more intelligent, they are less attracted to men? What's with that? Being a follower of Alcibiades rather than one who desires to partake in Diotima's ascent (according to Plato), I am utterly baffled. And now suddenly find myself more dispairing.

Edit: Spellage. And its not a handicap for the women that they don't marry, because they don't care.

This post has been edited by Slade: 12 January 2005 - 10:09 AM

[Laughlyn]

I still say that the Registered Nice Guys get it in the ass these days, and if I don't shut my mouth now I'm going to be mistaken for Maddox.

Its annoying being exactly in my position, you deplore the dumb girls, the clever girls look straight down their noses at my appearence, and those not so superficial either like me as a friend, or...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're going about it the wrong way Chyld. be a b*stard (in the english sense, we are talking about the UK here.). They all love a complete and utter B*stard! Go for a stupid disheveled Hugh Grant hair cut and you'll be beating them off with a stick. Then you can pull the nice guy act on them.

Personally I find that smart women should be smart enough not to date me in the first place, but often aren't. Luckily they always dump me before things get too serious.

[Chyld]

I'd have a lot more sympathy with boys who are all "Oh, poor me, girls don't like nice guys" if it weren't for the fact that every single girl I know is with a nice guy.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah, two of my friends who are nice guys have had relationships longer than I've had my drumkit. But For every nice guy I see who has a girlfriend, I see about 1.5 nice guys who don't, and at least 2 assholes who do have girlfriends...

Do I need to shut up anytime soon? Am I arguing a decent case, or just whining because I'm not getting any nookie?

You're going about it the wrong way Chyld. be a b*stard devil.gif (in the english sense, we are talking about the UK here.). They all love a complete and utter B*stard! Go for a stupid disheveled Hugh Grant hair cut and you'll be beating them off with a stick. Then you can pull the nice guy act on them.

Sad but true. There's only the slight problem that I want my Mick Jagger hair, and I'm actually raving mad. I've been sat here for an hour screaming gibberish because I can't find any Googlewhacks. No wonder I'm single, I suppose, but what idiot (or what 172 idiots) have a website on bubonic onomatapia?

[Jen]

But For every nice guy I see who has a girlfriend, I see about 1.5 nice guys who don't, and at least 2 assholes who do have girlfriends...

Do I need to shut up anytime soon? Am I arguing a decent case, or just whining because I'm not getting any nookie?

I don't want to harsh your mellow, really, I don't! But I have to agree with Laura: I just don't think the "Nice guys finish last" construction has any more merit than the reverse, where I know plenty of sweet, smart, gorgeous girls who would love to have a boyfriend and who don't. There are a lot of factors at play, but I can tell you one thing -- if there is one thing that will put off all the nice single girls I know faster than dog breath, it's meeting a cute, smart nice guy who has a big chip on his shoulder about how "women don't like me." No, fella, we love nice guys -- but not if you present yourself as a charity case. I've never dated girls, but I bet men feel the same way.

[Slade]

Hmm... I seem to come off as a gray wall in rooms I go in most of the time. I'm that guy who you naturally pay absolutely no attention to. I think part of that is a left over defense mechanism from when I was emotionally bullied in elementary school.

I can't legitmately say "Girls don't like me." because I don't know enough of them to make that generalization. And going to a technical institute, chances are good that I won't know enough to say that until after I graduate. And knowing myself (social skills and personalities I click with, preferences, etc.), chances are good that I'll never know enough to say that either. The few I do know have me lumped in the "just friends" category, although it isn't that bad because it's good to have friends of both genders. But it still sucks when you're interested in them as more than "just friends" and they are not. But they do like me, so I can't beat myself up and say that girls don't.


I'm sure there's a trick to make yourself stop caring that you're single, but I haven't figured it out yet.

[Icey]

Only "the grapes were sour anyway!" method works when it comes to that.

I think the reason why these allegedly 'intelligent' women aren't interested in men is because they lack intellect in other fields. Surely none of us are ready to claim that intelligence can be measured by a crappy test that only tests a portion of the a human's skills! I realize, that even though I am bisexual, I am not at all interested in the same gender for the simple reason of the psyche of men.
When someone says that all men cheat, that is a lie, but most men atleast consider it, fantasize about it even though they don't want to, it's something that comes with the penis,, it wishes to take control. This leads me to feeling, were I in a relationship with a man, I would propably fear being cheated on constantly and possibly feel used.
Which brings me to the opposite sex to finish this circle of sorts. I don't have the same fears, even though I've been burnt by a person I love very much, and I seem to defy the stereotype somewhat. When I started dating my girlfriend it was because of two things, she was more intelligent than most people my age (that I have conversed with anyway) and she'd make a good mum. She was fourteen at the time.