About 40 years ago, a number of scientists in various fields -- such as psychology, anthropology, and biology -- more or less simultaneously discovered that in humans successful courtships are most often initiated by the female.
By "successful courtships", I mean courtships that lead to sex. In contrast, the scientists found that male-initiated courtships are most of the time doomed to failure.
Since then, the early findings have been collaborated by dozens and dozens of additional studies. The science that suggests women more often initiate successful courtships than men do is by now pretty solid.
Now that science happens to contradict some age old prejudices in Western culture. Traditionally, the popular notion has been that men initiate most successful courtships and that women pretty much do little more than pick and choose which men to accept. In fact, if you ask most people even today which sex is most likely to initiate a successful courtship, you'd probably hear it was men. So why does so much science suggest otherwise?
Well, one reason might be that the scientists are looking at courtship a bit differently than the average person. The average person (in my opinion) probably thinks of courtship behavior as beginning when the first words are spoken. If so, they are likely to think that men typically initiate courtship because men are often -- perhaps even usually -- the first to actually speak in a courtship.
Yet, the studies I'm referring to are all studies of nonverbal courtship behavior. They don't measure the start of a courtship from the first person to say something, but rather from the first person to do something. And what they consistently find is that women -- and not men -- are usually the first people to do something that initiates a successful courtship.
Basically, women signal the men they're interested in via such means as making repeated eye contact, making repeated eye contact while preening their hair, turning their body to face a certain man, and so forth. All these signals are ways women encourage men to court them.
So, if you're a woman wanting to pick up men, signal the men you're interested in to approach you. And if you're a man looking to pick up women, the odds are in your favor when you respond to a woman's signals, rather than approach a woman cold.
All of this began to be revealed by the sciences about 40 years ago. Forty years from now, it might be common knowledge. But today, most people probably believe the old-fashioned notion that men are the sex that initiates most successful courtships.
Comments? Observations? Mouth frothing rants?
Further Reading:
Human Nonverbal Courtship Behavior: A Brief Historical Review
By "successful courtships", I mean courtships that lead to sex. In contrast, the scientists found that male-initiated courtships are most of the time doomed to failure.
Since then, the early findings have been collaborated by dozens and dozens of additional studies. The science that suggests women more often initiate successful courtships than men do is by now pretty solid.
Now that science happens to contradict some age old prejudices in Western culture. Traditionally, the popular notion has been that men initiate most successful courtships and that women pretty much do little more than pick and choose which men to accept. In fact, if you ask most people even today which sex is most likely to initiate a successful courtship, you'd probably hear it was men. So why does so much science suggest otherwise?
Well, one reason might be that the scientists are looking at courtship a bit differently than the average person. The average person (in my opinion) probably thinks of courtship behavior as beginning when the first words are spoken. If so, they are likely to think that men typically initiate courtship because men are often -- perhaps even usually -- the first to actually speak in a courtship.
Yet, the studies I'm referring to are all studies of nonverbal courtship behavior. They don't measure the start of a courtship from the first person to say something, but rather from the first person to do something. And what they consistently find is that women -- and not men -- are usually the first people to do something that initiates a successful courtship.
Basically, women signal the men they're interested in via such means as making repeated eye contact, making repeated eye contact while preening their hair, turning their body to face a certain man, and so forth. All these signals are ways women encourage men to court them.
So, if you're a woman wanting to pick up men, signal the men you're interested in to approach you. And if you're a man looking to pick up women, the odds are in your favor when you respond to a woman's signals, rather than approach a woman cold.
All of this began to be revealed by the sciences about 40 years ago. Forty years from now, it might be common knowledge. But today, most people probably believe the old-fashioned notion that men are the sex that initiates most successful courtships.
Comments? Observations? Mouth frothing rants?
Further Reading:
Human Nonverbal Courtship Behavior: A Brief Historical Review
