And now, the bad news...

Huh. Just when things seem to be looking up, we're brought crashing back to earth. The (rather depressing) results of another study:

“We found that men did put significantly more weight on their assessment of a partner’s beauty, when choosing, than women did. We also found that women got more dates when they won high marks for looks.”

He continued: “By contrast, intelligence ratings were more than twice as important in predicting women’s choices as men’s. It isn’t exactly that smarts were a complete turnoff for men: They preferred women whom they rated as smarter — but only up to a point ... It turns out that men avoided women whom they perceived to be smarter than themselves. The same held true for measures of career ambition — a woman could be ambitious, just not more ambitious than the man considering her for a date.

“When women were the ones choosing, the more intelligence and ambition the men had, the better. So, yes, the stereotypes appear to be true: We males are a gender of fragile egos in search of a pretty face and are threatened by brains or success that exceeds our own.”

Seriously. With all the so-called progress civilization's supposed to have made, how can these stereotypes still play out in real life? I mean, aren't we as a species supposed to, like, evolve?? It's so pathetic -- but, sadly, not really new news. As women, we're still conditioned by society to play down the "smarts" factor -- admitedly, my very smart mother tried to drive that idea out of my head. And she was successful, to a point. But if I'm totally honest, I have to admit I do play down my more serious "intellectual" side when I meet a new guy, especially if I'm considering dating him. Ugh. It seems even worse when I say (write) it out loud!

But, and what gives me hope, is that I actually know a few (very very few) men who defeat all kinds of stereotypes -- who aren't threatened by the women in their lives, whose egos are so secure, they can handle any degree of ambition or perceived intellectual superiority.

And seriously, which losers are sitting around measuring intelligence anyway? High standardized test scores, Ivy League degrees and the like aren't really a good measure of absolute intelligence. Those things maybe influence earning potential and job opportunity. But making a lot of money does NOT directly correlate to intelligence. Trust me. And I say that as someone who thoroughly enjoyed her own Ivy League education. We're not better than you.

Well, maybe I am. But, sshhh.. I still want to be able to get dates!

Hips Don't Lie

This was exactly the kind of news I needed to hear first thing in the morning!

It is already known that curvaceous women live longer and that men find them more attractive but the new research suggests that they are also cleverer.

The study, to be published this week, shows that men who admire women with hourglass figures do so because they are more intelligent and therefore produce more intelligent children than waif-like women or those of "apple-shaped" proportions.

HAH! Need I say more? Oh, what the hell, let's pull another quote just for fun:

"Shapely hips and thighs hold essential nutrients that nurse brains and could produce smart kids, too," said one researcher, Steven Gaulin, of the University of California at Santa Barbara.

Apparently it's not just "real women" who have curves; smart ones do, too!

Overthinking things

Among the many thoughts I've spent too many hours on lately:

Growing up sucks. If I could pick an age that I had to be for the rest of my life, it would be 21. Old enough for the fun stuff. Young enough to not have too many responsibilities.

Is it better to have material privileges that come with emotionally challenging hurdles or little material privilege but a lot of emotional freedom? I think the latter is preferable. Then again, I was born into the former. Perhaps the grass is greener? I don't know..

Gone With the Wind is a brilliant book and a great movie. But not the best thing to fall asleep to.. How is it that relationships are as complicated in 2007 as they were in 1857? It's been 150 years.. aren't we supposed to evolve??

Certain things should be simple. You work hard, you're rewarded. You're talented, you're rewarded. Period. There should be no "but.."

Waaay too much thinking for someone with limited time. I recently complained to my mother that the whole notion that "your twenties are the best years of your life" is crap. There was a slight pause. And then: "Of course they're not the best years! They're confusing and challenging because you have to make life-changing decisions without being equipped with the maturity and experience to do so."

Great.

Well, at least I know I'm not totally crazy. Apparently, cluelessness is expected.

Phew.