Who Doesn't Love a Bad Boy?

Even though we know they are bad for us, what draws women in to bad boys? Every woman out there wants a man who they know will be there for them, to provide, comfort, care for future/current family. Yet, there are still bad boys out there because lets face it, they are irresistible. Gregory Louis Carter and his team at the University of Durham conducted a study to try and figure out why these bad boys are just so utterly appealing.

Research has shown that more men have what is considered the "Dark Triad" (Mehta). This Dark Triad are three personality traits; narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellism. Narcissism is a greater trait in men than it is in women and the hallmarks include dominance, a sense of entitlement, and a grandiose self view. It is also believed that narcisissm helps bad boys for short term dating because it involves in "a willingness and ability to compete with one's own sex, and to repel mates shortly after intercourse" (Mehta). Psychopathy is callousness, a lack of empathy, and antisocial, erratic behavior. Just like Ted Bundy, psychopaths exhibit superficial charm, deceit, and a "sexually-exploitative interpersonal stance" (Mehta). Lastly is Machiavellianism. These people are manipulative, coercive, and opportunistic, which are an advantage in short term mating. The men who exhibit machiavellian behavior also appear to be more promiscuous.

The team presented a 128 female undergraduate students with descriptions of two types of men, Dark Triads and controls. The only difference in the descriptions of the two were that the control group dropped the dark personality traits. The findings you ask? Well Carter and his team found that women found the Dark Triad personality traits more appealing than that of the control. So why is this? One theory could be that sexual selection could be at work here. The confidence, stubbornness and risk taking tendencies are all those that represent a quality mate for reproduction. These traits however relate to short term mating, not anything women actually want longterm.  Another reason could be sexual conflict at play. "Women may be responding to DT men's ability to 'sell themselves'; a useful tactic in a co-evolutionary 'arms race' in which men convince women to pursue the former's preferred sexual strategy" (Mehta). These men are effective charmers and manipulators which helps to further short-term mating.  Yet, it is important to emphasize that the women tested are also young women, college women, who are still interested in short-term relationships.