Ideal Mate
WRC1013-087
Ideal Mate When talking about the stereotypical perfect man, a woman’s first thought might be something along the lines of a tall-dark-and-handsome gentleman with enough money to support a family and her love of things that sparkle. And when a man is to describe the perfect woman, one would assume the first few traits would most likely have something to do with decent looks and the ability to cook like his mother. What constitutes the ideal mate obviously differs from person to person, but there are certain traits that a majority of the population does share in common when it comes to their idea of the perfect mate. There are countless combinations of characteristics that are seen as appealing, just as there are countless combinations that are seen as appalling, but what is the perfect mixture of traits to create the “ideal mate”? Well, that depends upon who you ask. And not only does it depend on whom, but what gender that person is. When asked who the best examples of the perfect man were out of a handful of options at a university, the majority of women replied with Brad Pitt and Martin Luther King Jr as their top two choices. When men were asked what they viewed the perfect man as, they replied with Jesus and George Washington. But when the question was reversed and they were asked who the ideal woman was, Oprah Winfrey won by a landslide for both males and females. (Weinstein, Lawrence, Laverghetta, and Peterson). The data from this research showed that although men and women want slightly different traits in their companions, “males and females share a great deal regarding the qualities desired in mates” ( Paul K. Presson, et al 181).
Psychologist David Buss is one of thousands who has tried to decipher what it is that makes a certain person appealing to another and why it is that this other person perceives that special someone the way they do. After interviewing a total of 10,000 people from 37 different cultures, he found that men and
Ideal Mate When talking about the stereotypical perfect man, a woman’s first thought might be something along the lines of a tall-dark-and-handsome gentleman with enough money to support a family and her love of things that sparkle. And when a man is to describe the perfect woman, one would assume the first few traits would most likely have something to do with decent looks and the ability to cook like his mother. What constitutes the ideal mate obviously differs from person to person, but there are certain traits that a majority of the population does share in common when it comes to their idea of the perfect mate. There are countless combinations of characteristics that are seen as appealing, just as there are countless combinations that are seen as appalling, but what is the perfect mixture of traits to create the “ideal mate”? Well, that depends upon who you ask. And not only does it depend on whom, but what gender that person is. When asked who the best examples of the perfect man were out of a handful of options at a university, the majority of women replied with Brad Pitt and Martin Luther King Jr as their top two choices. When men were asked what they viewed the perfect man as, they replied with Jesus and George Washington. But when the question was reversed and they were asked who the ideal woman was, Oprah Winfrey won by a landslide for both males and females. (Weinstein, Lawrence, Laverghetta, and Peterson). The data from this research showed that although men and women want slightly different traits in their companions, “males and females share a great deal regarding the qualities desired in mates” ( Paul K. Presson, et al 181).
Psychologist David Buss is one of thousands who has tried to decipher what it is that makes a certain person appealing to another and why it is that this other person perceives that special someone the way they do. After interviewing a total of 10,000 people from 37 different cultures, he found that men and