{"id":14364,"date":"2017-04-10T01:00:07","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T08:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/datemixstaging.wpengine.com\/?p=14364"},"modified":"2022-05-23T00:56:03","modified_gmt":"2022-05-23T07:56:03","slug":"why-do-girls-like-bad-boys-what-we-can-learn-from-the-science-of-attraction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/why-do-girls-like-bad-boys-what-we-can-learn-from-the-science-of-attraction\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Girls Like Bad Boys? Secrets from the Science of Attraction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From James Dean to James Bond to George Clooney (pre-Amal), girls have always had a soft spot for bad boys. And now science knows why. Recent research has found that men who have vain and somewhat er, well, psychopathic tendencies usually get more dates than the average male. Wondering what’s up with that? Well, here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re more attractive.
\n<\/strong>It\u2019s not your imagination\u2014bad boys really are ridiculously good looking. Research<\/a> has found that people with so-called ‘dark’ personality traits such as narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism\u2014otherwise known as the ‘dark triad’ of personality traits\u2014are more physically attractive than others. The study by Nicholas Holtzman and Michael Strube of Washington University in St. Louis found that narcissists, unsurprisingly, are better at making themselves look physically appealing. Which explains why it\u2019s definitely not a coincidence that bad boys have both an amazing wardrobe and amazing hair\u2014they work hard at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, those within the dark triad were found to be, \u201cmore likeable and had more confident body language, and more attractive facial expressions,” than their counterparts. In short, a bad boy make a darn good first impression. This works well in his favor because, according to the research, when we find someone super hot, we tend to assume they\u2019re also smart, kind, and confident (even if it isn\u2019t true). No wonder bad boys are so irresistible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re more fun.
\n<\/strong>From motorcycles to daredevil trips, bad boys know how to have a good time. A 2016 study<\/a> conducted at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona showed that a number of women were attracted to bad boy types because they were considered captivating. \u201cWhile they are selfish, rule-breaking, imprudent, and rebellious, they are also brave, temerarious, independent, and self-reliant\u2014and they live frantic, galvanizing lives,\u201d said lead researcher Fernando Guti\u00e9rrez. He added that this behavior could function as \u201ca signal that the subject has such good genetic quality and condition as to live dangerously without suffering harm.\u201d The study went on to say those traits included in the dark triad, such as neuroticism and impulsiveness, \u201care not being weeded out by natural selection and actually may confer an evolutionary advantage.\u201d Therefore ‘nice’ guys with their reliably structured existence just can\u2019t compete with their wild bad boy counterparts who apparently have nine lives to boot\u2014it\u2019s evolution\u2019s fault.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s hormonal.<\/strong>
If you find yourself ogling the bad boy at the bar, you can blame your ovaries for that. According to research<\/a> published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology back in 2012, women, in the week of ovulation, \u201cdelude themselves into thinking that the sexy bad boys will become devoted partners and better dads,” said study researcher Kristina Durante of The University of Texas at San Antonio<\/a>. “When looking at the sexy cad through ovulation goggles, Mr. Wrong looked exactly like Mr. Right.” That means, during a certain time of the month, women can\u2019t help but be attracted to the bad boy. (Just another thing to blame your baby box for.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As much as bad boys are downright hypnotizing, it\u2019s important to note that their charming ways quickly wear out. Although bad boys find it relatively easy to begin new relationships, research<\/a> says that, over time, they find it difficult to maintain their mesmerizing first impression. In fact, they\u2019re noted to be selfish, cold, and arrogant\u2014pretty much the opposite of who you thought they were. (Just be careful because it could take several weeks before your bad boy exposes his true self. That\u2019s because people with dark personality traits are skilled at keeping their unpleasant side hidden.) <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bottom line: bad boys are great for a fling, and it’s only natural to be attracted to them. (It’s science.) But if you\u2019re looking for a long-term relationship <\/i>go for the nice guy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As it turns out, there’s a reason why we’re attracted to those nefarious characters. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":14373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[886,902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dating-advice-women","category-science-love"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhy Do Girls Like Bad Boys? Secrets from the Science of Attraction<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s not your imagination\u2014bad boys really are better looking. Research has found that people with so-called 'dark' personality traits are more attractive.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/why-do-girls-like-bad-boys-what-we-can-learn-from-the-science-of-attraction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why Do Girls Like Bad Boys? Secrets from the Science of Attraction\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s not your imagination\u2014bad boys really are better looking. Research has found that people with so-called 'dark' personality traits are more attractive.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/dating-advice-women\/why-do-girls-like-bad-boys-what-we-can-learn-from-the-science-of-attraction\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Date Mix\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Zoosk\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/briannehoganwriter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-10T08:00:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-05-23T07:56:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dq1eylutsoz4u.cloudfront.net\/2017\/04\/04145414\/why-do-good-girls-like-bad-boys.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Brianne Hogan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Zoosk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Brianne Hogan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why Do Girls Like Bad Boys? 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