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If you are looking for romance, is it better to have a hot or homely wingman (or wingwoman)?
We got to wondering because a study of guppies – yes, little fish -- out this week in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, showed that when females don’t want attention from males, they hang out with especially sexy females (in guppies, sexy means “willing to have sex”).
Basically, when guppy gals aren’t in the mood, they surround themselves with hot-to-trot pals, so they get some peace.
But does the same hold true for humans?
There’s not a lot of evidence, but our perception of others has a lot to do with the company they keep. It’s all a matter of relativity, according to research conducted at Stirling University in Scotland.
In a study released this month, scientists there found that when men were asked to rate the attractiveness of a target woman who was paired with a more attractive woman, and were told the two women were friends, the men thought the target woman was less desirable.
Other research shows that men probably don’t want a wingman at all. Instead they should hang with Elisabetta Canalis.
Researchers at California State University, Fullerton, found that women test subjects rated men as being more attractive when the guys were surrounded by other women than when the guys were depicted alone or with other men.
It’s like that old Seinfeld episode where George shows off a picture of a model that came in his new wallet, claiming she’s his dead fiancé. Suddenly, he’s invited to a secret nightclub full of models.
Something called “mate-choice copying” may be at work. In nature, when females of many species see a male having sex with other females, they appear to regard him as a catch, sort of like crowd-source book reviews. If you think lots of others liked it, then it must be good.
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Haha, there's a Seinfeld for that. There's a Seinfeld for EVERYTHING.
Someone needs to do a study on how much taxdollars are wasted on ridiculus studes like this one.
And think how many thousands of studies there are just like this one.
Aren't guppies cannibalistic?
Don't they eat their young?
"In nature, when females of many species see a male having sex with other females, they appear to regard him as a catch, sort of like crowd-source book reviews."
And that's why women pick the cheaters.
"when men were asked to rate the attractiveness of a target woman who was paired with a more attractive woman, and were told the two women were friends, the men thought the target woman was less desirable." Shocker. An experiment was required to test this theory?
I thought guppie was a gay upward prof.
I hope this study was not paid for with TAX dollars!! What a waist of MONEY!!!! This money would have been better spent on Cancer research.
Really? A waist of money? Maybe it should go to K-12 education...
Is there ANYTHING you people will allow tax dollars to be spent on?
And I think you mean "waste", not "waist". Waste is to throw something usable, like money, away. Waist is that part of your anatomy just above the hips.
Yeah seems like the money would have been better spent on schools. Obviously spelling and grammar lessons in the US are not up to par.
Tax dollars spent on anything other than defending this country from terrorists both foriegn and domestic IS a waste ... OH YEA up yerown anus you fruitcake
I love you too, Happypants! :-)
Who could have imagined that attractiveness would be a factor in choosing someone of the opposite sex? I'm sure glad someone took the time and energy to get to the bottom of this. Wonder who paid for it.
A waist of money? Should have spent the cash on spelling lessons.
Who pays for these "studies"? More stupid "publish or perish" BS from academia from both sides of the pond.
Really? What offends you about it, they didn't ask you?
Yeah, knowledge sucks!
Pseudo-knowledge is just what it is, pseudo.
What offends me? A stupid pointless "study", just to promote some academician's curriculum vitae.
You must be an academician.
Yea ... True ... Wanna see something really stupid check out the ringo starr thing .... more proof of drug usage damages brain cells .... what an idiot he is
Just wondering. Who were the grammar school kids that thought this STUDY up. One might think if thats all they had to waste time on, fry the guppies and have a snack. Or, did they spend their milk money on drugs? What a flippin' waste of time and money.
I thought guppies sounded like "groupy." You know. I was excited to read the article until I found out the word is different.
Here that boys? Don't swallow all that feminism crap. Women are just sexual objects. Screw them, rinse, repeat, and you'll only get more of them!
hahahaha
Sonce some have commented on spelling, Baldman, I think you mean "hear" not here. Once is a sound the other is a place.
justsayin,
What does "sonce" mean? LOL!
I think justsaying was being sarcastic. In the process of correcting one spelling mistake, he made two of them and failed to insert a comma between the phrases "[One] is a sound" and "the other is a place." No one could be that dense so it must've been sarcasm.
I guess for all you idiots who believe your ancestors crawled out of some swamp some where, this article might be of some, use otherwise just more BS from the liberal media, trying to take away attention from more important matters
Oh yea, we're definitely idiots for not thinking that the earth is only 6000 years old. Rofl!
Who said anything about the age of the planet ???? But if you crawled outa some swamp guess thats nuff said
What, you mean to tell me you don't believe in evolution but you accept radiometric age dating of the earth?
Either accept all the evidence, or shut up. Dickweed.
YOU funny.... F OFF
I'm in agreement, Lucky Dog. Congress today has interrogated Attorney General Holder for lying about his and the DOJ's involvement in that Fast & Furious debacle and this article is what passes for "news" on msnbc.com and, for that matter, the rest of our lame media.
Now holder may have crawled outa some swamp or maybe fell outa some tree
..... he dont look to be wired right
Maybe this article is to tell all those prozac and zoloft jello people that if a little fishie does it, so should you ..... HAHAHAHAHA
jesus, lucky dog. you make the notion of human descent from lesser organisms seem more plausible than any amount of fossil or genetic data could. That a person can vomit up so many thoughts and still be so mentally atrophied is a testament to the intractability of human stupidity. I just hope you are young, maybe a high-school kid or college undergraduate, and that the impulse to spill mental diarrhea into a forum-full of strangers -- who I can only imagine keep silent because they feel embarrassed for you -- is a phase which you will soon grow out of. If not, then with any luck your life will be one of the short ones.
You people never cease to amaze, and lookin at a lot of humanity, they are descendant (lower) of organisms, all those in favor of saving the planet should read the bible, so maybe they will realize that it is supposed to be about saving the humans, if you wonder why i am cynical, its my own form of comic relief, If i cant find a reason to laugh then i would have to cry, This planet will only last as long as it is meant to, trying to save it is a moot point no matter what is done to it good or bad it will remain untill it is done. HAVE FAITH !
Dont know if you will ever read this but it was worth a try
I've been saying this for thirty-six years. Guys, invest in a wedding ring, they really work.
Unfortunately, Marty, a lot of people do that. They get married and then go out on the prowl. It's even more unfortunate that being married does attract more potential lovers. Sometimes standing next to their spouse doesn't even deter the skanks. It seems to bring the guppy out in them.
I think he meant when you are trolling if you use a shiny lure you might catch more guppies ..... HAHAHAHA .... pretty sad that people think this way ..... wonder why the world is in trouble