THE LITTLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN

Research on the gender wars continues. Here are some findings about the little differences between men and women.

• A man seated next to a woman on an airplane is five times more likely to take over the armrest between them. Even when the woman is physically larger than the man, the man takes the armrest three times more often.
  
• Men under age 40 express far more anger and annoyance than older men when they lose the armrest to a woman.
  
• Males who crave power over others tend to seek female partners who are weaker than they, have many sexual partners, and are also more likely to enjoy viewing pornography. They also suffer a high rate of separation and divorce. By contrast, women who crave power are less likely to be dissatisfied with their relationships and are less likely to separate or divorce.
  
• When two strangers first meet, they spend the initial few seconds establishing relative positions of domination/subordination. One will quickly, almost imperceptibly, speak first and look the other down, establishing dominance. If the pair of strangers are male and female, it is almost always the man who dominates. Women tend to avert their eyes from men when looked upon.
  
• Women are three times more likely to state imperative commands as interrogatives. For example, "Will you please come here?" is used instead of "Please come here".
  
• Women asked to guess their IQs almost certainly underestimate them. Men underestimate significantly less often--and by lesser margins.
  
• If a woman has a small bust (less than 34 inches), the first impression she conveys to most people, male or female, is that she is relatively intelligent, ambitious, competent, modest, and moral. However, if a woman has a large bust (37 inches or more), the first impression is that she is relatively unintelligent, lazy, incompetent, immodest and immoral.
  
• One whom others (both males and females) judge to be an average-looking woman is perceived to be better looking when seen in the company of attractive-looking women compared to when seen in the company of unattractive women.
  
• Attractive-looking men almost always come out more liked, respected, and chosen than less attractive men. But attractive women are favoured for recognition and promotion over attractive men--except in roles not traditionally occupied by women.
  
• If an attractive-looking woman runs for public office against an unattractive woman with the same qualifications, the less attractive is more likely to win.
  
• An attractive-looking young woman is likely to have significantly lower blood pressure than a women considered unattractive. But the same is not true of attractive and unattractive men.
  
• During an act of dishonesty, a man who is lying to another man is just as likely to keep steady eye contact as one who is telling the truth. A man lying to a woman is likely to look away more from her than when telling the truth. A woman lying to a woman is apt to look away more than when a man is lying to a woman--and she looks away still more when lying to a man.
  
• If you are a man married to an attractive woman, you are perceived as more attractive than you would be if your wife were not attractive. If you are a woman, people rate your attractiveness independent of your husband's.
  
• The best predictor of whether a relationship will progress is if a couple is matched in relative attractiveness. Attractive women are more likely than attractive men to make an exception and date a less attractive man. But an attractive man almost never continues long in dating a woman who is less attractive than the man regards himself.
  
• The more comfortable you are with your marriage, the less you and your spouse look at each other as you talk.
  
• We almost always rate our partners to be better-looking than others do.
  
• More men (55 per cent) than women (34 per cent) think their sex lives are less satisfying than those of other members of the same sex.
  
• When a marriage is in trouble, the more likely male reaction is to clam-up, become more withdrawn, and refrain from discussing marriage problems. However, the more likely female reaction is to speak-up, become less withdrawn, and be willing to discuss marriage problems.
  
• The influence, authority, and dominance of wives over their husbands tends to increase with the passage of time. Correspondingly, the influence, authority, and dominance of husbands over their wives tends to decrease over time.

 

Complete News Archives: 2002 September: The Mars Effect August: Weird mysteries of creative giants July: How many senses do we have? June: The Samson Syndrome May: Phantom Limb Syndrome April: Can we talk to the unborn? March: Movie Revelations February: Navel Secrets January: If Whales Can Do It? 2001 December: Body Odysseys of the Famous November: The Psychology of Smell October: Light, Colour and Music Therapy September: Three Brain Mysteries August: Baldness July News June: Laughing