Interesting “New York Times” Article

My girlfriend forwarded me this link yesterday, and I thought it would be useful here. Here is the link to the original. Also, the text of the article follows here.

After you read this, consider how you might be doing this. For most people, inadequacy is S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure), so it stands to reason that they habitually would overestimate others’ attractiveness based on their own low self-opinion. This supports the concept of enhancing lifestyle, and self-image in order to see things more clearly and objectively to IMPROVE one’s own self-image – rather than indulging in foolish, childish “game” behavior. Games attract games, and children attract children…

Here is the text from The Times:

“Insights: Overestimating Competitors in the Game of Love”

By ERIC NAGOURNEY
Published: December 5, 2006

Asking someone out on a date might seem a little less intimidating if the competition weren’t so good looking. So here is some good news: maybe it isn’t.
Researchers have found that men and women consistently overrate the attractiveness of other members of their own sex.

Writing in the current issue of Evolution and Human Behavior, Sarah E. Hill, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Texas, Austin, theorized that purely as a matter of evolutionary advantage, there might be merit in giving romantic rivals more credit than they deserve.

“In mating – as in any social competition – those who underestimate their opponents ultimately increase the risk of defeat because they are unprepared for the competition,” Dr. Hill wrote.

People who overrate the attractiveness of others, the study said, may work harder to maintain or improve their own appearance to keep current partners or attract new ones. They may also be discouraged from wasting time seeking out mates who are out of reach.

But there is a flip side, the study said. Overestimating rivals may erode self-confidence and lead people to seek less desirable partners. They may also spend too much time worrying about their own attractiveness.

For the study, the researchers showed 123 men and 159 women photographs of students of the opposite sex and asked them to rate the students as prospective sexual or long-term partners. They then showed the same photographs to members of the same sex and asked them to assess how attractive those people would be to members of the opposite sex.

On average, men rated other men a third higher than women did. Women rated other women a quarter higher than men did.

The differences did not occur when the volunteers were asked to rate the people on characteristics that did not involve attractiveness, including how politically involved they thought the person was.

Popularity: 3% [?]