Scientists say men with one intriguing characteristic are more attractive to women

[Janelle2002 3,865]

Scientists say men with one intriguing characteristic are more attractive to women

Business Insider

Shana Lebowitz 5 hours ago

man speaking

(Strelka Institute for Media, Architecture and Design/Flickr)

Men who can spin a yarn are seen by women as more attractive and of higher status.

Take a look at a bunch of women's OkCupid profiles and you'll be hard pressed to find one that says, "I'm looking for a guy who makes me laugh, loves trying new foods, and oh! knows how to spin a mean yarn."

And yet new research suggests that storytelling prowess is a desirable quality in a guy possibly because it signals that they're high-status. Men, on the other hand, don't seem to be fazed by women's ability to tell a good tale.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and SUNY Buffalo came to these conclusions after conducting a series of studies with hundreds of male and female undergrads as participants.

In one study, undergrads read descriptions of men and women, some of which specified that the man or woman tells great stories. Results showed that women found men who were good storytellers more attractive as long-term partners than men who were only decent storytellers, or men whose bios didn't mention storytelling ability at all.

Men, on the other hand, didn't rate women more attractive when those women were described as good storytellers.

The researchers also asked the participants to indicate whether they thought the man or woman would be popular, admired, and a good leader. Answers to these questions indicated how high-status the person seemed.

Sure enough, men who were supposedly good storytellers were perceived by women as higher status. Again, though, women who were supposedly good storytellers were not perceived by men as more attractive or of higher status.

At this point, it's hard to say for sure why women are drawn to men who can tell a good story. The authors suggest that "storytelling ability reflects a man's ability to gain resources. Good storytellers may be more likely to influence others or to gain positions of authority in society."

Previous research has found that women prefer high-status guys, so this isn't especially surprising what's new is the idea that storytelling ability is an indicator of status.

Of course, future research is necessary to see if watching and listening to a man tell a story is as appealing as reading a story he's written.

Yet this study adds to a growing body of research on the nonphysical characteristics that can make men attractive to women, like mindfulness and altruism. In some cases, these attributes seem to be even more important than a man's looks.

Bottom line: Women might not explicitly reveal that they're looking for a guy who can tell a good story in fact, they might not even realize that's what they want. But if you want to impress a woman, consider ditching the pickup lines and starting with "Once upon a time ..." instead.

NOW WATCH: What you should talk about on a first date, according to research

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/scientists-men-one-intriguing-characteristic-174500090.html

[Jacque67 7,328]

So women love a conman? Ha ha!

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

I now know how I did it

[yuna628 9,671]

I love the presumptive nature of the article ''woman may not even realize that's what they want'' as if they know absolutely what every woman wants to begin with and that they have no idea what it is they are looking for themselves. I guess it's a way to cover those women who honestly think this study is superfluous bunk and have other interests in seeking a desirable male. What this boils down to is a man that's good at communicating and having conversations with a perspective partner may have better success than a withdrawn one with communication issues. On the flip side the study is suggesting men just want us to be seen and not heard.

[Jacque67 7,328]

I now know how I did it

You're sooooo bad!

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

I love the presumptive nature of the article ''woman may not even realize that's what they want'' as if they know absolutely what every woman wants to begin with and that they have no idea what it is they are looking for themselves. I guess it's a way to cover those women who honestly think this study is superfluous bunk and have other interests in seeking a desirable male. What this boils down to is a man that's good at communicating and having conversations with a perspective partner may have better success than a withdrawn one with communication issues. On the flip side the study is suggesting men just want us to be seen and not heard.

I promise you women don't know what they want it's a fact

[yuna628 9,671]

I promise you women don't know what they want it's a fact

Maybe the women you know don't know, but I can assure you there's more than just the women you know, and those women know.

Edited May 26, 2016 by yuna628

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

Maybe the women you know don't know, but I can assure you there's more than just the women you know, and those women know.

I can assure you there are very few women I don't know

[yuna628 9,671]

I can assure you there are very few women I don't know

You've known/been with 3.52+ billion women? That's some braggin' rights.

[Janelle2002 3,865]

I can assure you there are very few women I don't know

International player boy type of guy or you just get along with all the girls?

I took the article as saying women like a man who can tell a story, in other words, funny details or situations that happened in life. Marv used to have me rolling with his ship stories all the time.

Or my personal favorite, when I was super depressed and down after my mom passed, he told me stories about all of his goofy encounters with women, domestically and abroad. Now that we are married, I want all of there social security numbers and addresses. lol

[Jacque67 7,328]

I can assure you there are very few women I don't know

Ha ha.

Who funds this kind of research anyways?

[elmcitymaven 9,712]

I can assure you there are very few women I don't know

VOL

Hey VOL

Is that you?

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

I promise you women don't know what they want it's a fact

Ok I was funning.

When you in school,, Women go for the jocks. Later on in life when looks fade, and you in the 40 something game. Don't live with Mommy, soap water, got a job a bit cocky and confident. Women love it

They also finds typing werds funny sexy.

However. Women like Alpha males and what they can't have. Its that simple. Cept Lesbians.

Oh they say all BS about long moonlight walks on the beach, romantic dinners, tickle piles blah blah. BS

[Jacque67 7,328]

Ok I was funning.

When you in school,, Women go for the jocks. Later on in life when looks fade, and you in the 40 something game. Don't live with Mommy, soap water, got a job a bit cocky and confident. Women love it

They also finds typing werds funny sexy.

However. Women like Alpha males and what they can't have. Its that simple. Cept Lesbians.

Oh they say all BS about long moonlight walks on the beach, romantic dinners, tickle piles blah blah. BS

On a roll!

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

Tickle piles!? Oh my!