I'm still here!

I've decided to actually try to maintain this thing once again. I don't know what it is about this blog that makes me neglect writing; I was pretty prolific over at myspace... Anyway, in an effort to become motivated again (and as a way to cheat - hee hee), I'm transferring as many posts as I can from my myspace blog. Here's the first one:


So, last night I watched a special on PBS (Yes, I watch PBS. Buzz off, nimrod.) about the science of attraction...
A group of scientists gathered 20 men and 20 women and put them through a series of tests with the goal of matching each one with at least one other member of the group. They used facial similarity mapping, compatibility tests, body-morphing software, and, finally, actual one-on-one encounters to compile data on each individual.
Facial similarity: this takes your face, maps it, and then compares it to faces of members of the opposite sex. The theory is that people are attracted to other people with similar facial features. Ever seen those couples who they look like they could be sister and brother? This is why.
Compatibility tests: theirs was the "CQ" test and consisted of over 100 questions covering every topic conceivable.
Body-morphing software: they asked the men and women to "create" their ideal body type for the opposite sex. They then put all the different selections together to create an average desired shape for both sexes.
One-on-ones: participants had two types of speed dates. The first was simply for gauging first impressions. A woman would sit down in front of a man, then they would both adjust dials hidden on their respective sides of the table to indicate how attracted they were to that person - no talking allowed - and then move on to the next person. The dials ranged from 1 to 100; 100 being the person to whom you were most attracted. The second date was three minutes long and was the participants' chance to ask questions of each other. The dials were reset to the levels chosen after the first dates, and the men and women could lower or raise them based on how they now felt about the person after the second date.

Well, good effort all the way around, guys. Bravo for trying. What they found is that there were too many variables to accurately predict to whom someone would be attracted. (Maybe they heard me yelling at the television screen.) The people with similar facial features were creeped out by each other. The compatibility tests were not foolproof. And the body-morphing only revealed this chestnut: men are attracted to women with good waist-to-hip ratios. Preferences for other areas were varied, but this quality came up consistently across the board.

The thing I found amusing about the one-on-one encounters was that the women participants were in almost all cases giving the men higher ratings on the attraction dials after the second date, suggesting that they were interested in more than physical appearances. The men's dial ratings, on the other hand, changed very little from the first to the second date. (To be fair, the women could certainly have upped the attraction level on the second date after hearing, "I'm a rich doctor" or something similarly superficial.) Along the same lines, was the fact that the women's body-morphing choices (which averaged out to something like a muscle-bound guy who hadn't gone to the gym in a bit) went right out the window when it came to the actual dates. They did however rate for attraction based on height. Soooo... skip the gym, guys, and just... be tall.

Sadly, ladies, it seems you do need to put your fullblown face and knock-em-dead heels on when going to the grocery store (if you're on the prowl, that is). If his first impression is bad, you probably won't get a chance to make another one...