Comments on: Women Want Heavy Men http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html Overcoming Bias is economist Robin Hanson’s blog, on honesty, signaling, disagreement, forecasting, and the far future. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:09:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Jesper Östman http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-486786 Jesper Östman Sun, 24 Jul 2011 18:08:46 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-486786 Just came across this study. According to it heavier men also earn more. The authors think it can be explained by attractiveness ideals. http://dept.econ.yorku.ca/~vincent/download/paper/vhipvk_obesity_eur_new_46.pdf Just came across this study. According to it heavier men also earn more. The authors think it can be explained by attractiveness ideals.

http://dept.econ.yorku.ca/~vincent/download/paper/vhipvk_obesity_eur_new_46.pdf

]]> By: Linda http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-451588 Linda Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:03:29 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-451588 I came across this post unwittingly in the midst of finally realizing that male-female relations have not changed much over time. Even today these relations remain quite Freudian, as Betty Friedan, author of "The Feminine Mystique" postulates. My grandmother once told me that women in her day had to marry, it was their only choice. Their lives were tied to the home and bearing children. Heterosexual men still seem to prefer women who are dependent and childlike. Perhaps these qualities are somehow equated with being a good wife and mother. I'm one of those tall, high-educated women in the medical field. I'm neither dependent or childlike. I am a woman of logic and reason. The more education I pursue, the happier I become and the less interest I receive from men. It's been interesting, if somewhat disappointing, to realize that in becoming a complete person I have also become "undesirable" as a partner. Despite this, I wouldn't change a thing. My life is better than I could have ever imagined and I'm sure my grandmother would be proud. I came across this post unwittingly in the midst of finally realizing that male-female relations have not changed much over time. Even today these relations remain quite Freudian, as Betty Friedan, author of “The Feminine Mystique” postulates. My grandmother once told me that women in her day had to marry, it was their only choice. Their lives were tied to the home and bearing children. Heterosexual men still seem to prefer women who are dependent and childlike. Perhaps these qualities are somehow equated with being a good wife and mother. I’m one of those tall, high-educated women in the medical field. I’m neither dependent or childlike. I am a woman of logic and reason. The more education I pursue, the happier I become and the less interest I receive from men. It’s been interesting, if somewhat disappointing, to realize that in becoming a complete person I have also become “undesirable” as a partner. Despite this, I wouldn’t change a thing. My life is better than I could have ever imagined and I’m sure my grandmother would be proud.

]]> By: GetOverIt http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-451381 GetOverIt Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:57:57 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-451381 A lot of good men are short, women, get over it! Relationships are about love, and if you can't understand that only what you two have matters, then you aren't deserving of a relationship. I've been married for 20 years. I'm a 5'5" man and I married a 6'4" woman. It was awkward, and was originally a joke. Did it work out? yes! Was it awkward? At first, then we got used to tuning people out. Stop excluding men on the basis of height, andd you'll find that there are many more good men available than you think there are! Also, women who exclude men merely on height make these short "mean" men, because they never give them love or a chance, so they come to hate and despise people who are tall and people who are in love and people who are happy. You create these monsters; it is nothing inherent in the short men themselves! A lot of good men are short, women, get over it! Relationships are about love, and if you can’t understand that only what you two have matters, then you aren’t deserving of a relationship. I’ve been married for 20 years. I’m a 5’5″ man and I married a 6’4″ woman. It was awkward, and was originally a joke. Did it work out? yes! Was it awkward? At first, then we got used to tuning people out. Stop excluding men on the basis of height, andd you’ll find that there are many more good men available than you think there are! Also, women who exclude men merely on height make these short “mean” men, because they never give them love or a chance, so they come to hate and despise people who are tall and people who are in love and people who are happy. You create these monsters; it is nothing inherent in the short men themselves!

]]> By: mark http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-449913 mark Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:58:00 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-449913 The estimates of income preferences show that women place about twice as much weight on income than men. There is little evidence for preference heterogeneity here—the absolute value of the distance coefficients is small, and hence own income matters only slightly in the evaluation of a partner’s earnings. Meaning that women dont care what they make but are twice as concerned about what he makes. you think that makes twice as much difference in the size of BMI compared to the size of the guys pay check. little man little check. ok bigger man bigger check. better does that say anything about the size comparision. The estimates of income preferences show that women place about twice as much weight on income than men.
There is little evidence for preference heterogeneity here—the absolute value of the distance coefficients is small, and hence own income matters only slightly in the evaluation of a partner’s earnings.
Meaning that women dont care what they make but are twice as concerned about what he makes.
you think that makes twice as much difference in the size of BMI compared to the size of the guys pay check.
little man little check. ok
bigger man bigger check. better
does that say anything about the size comparision.

]]> By: Harald Jockusch http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-448716 Harald Jockusch Sat, 05 Jun 2010 16:30:53 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-448716 I would like to get the reference of the original scientific paper on mating and size selection in humans H. Jockusch I would like to get the reference of the original scientific paper on mating and size selection in humans

H. Jockusch

]]> By: getoveryourselves http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-447194 getoveryourselves Wed, 05 May 2010 01:21:00 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-447194 Stop being shallow, selfish, greedy and dictatorial. Love the person for who they are and what's inside. Beauty and looks fade with time. Mass media has screwed everyone's brains up. It has managed to morph what is ideal and has told everyone that if they do not acquire the ideal that they have failed or settled for less. What a load of crap. We've come a long way from when cavemen used to drag their women by the hair where ever their next conquest took them, but sometimes I think we have come way too far to a point where we get in our own ways most of the time. Make it simple not complicated. Stop being shallow, selfish, greedy and dictatorial. Love the person for who they are and what’s inside. Beauty and looks fade with time. Mass media has screwed everyone’s brains up. It has managed to morph what is ideal and has told everyone that if they do not acquire the ideal that they have failed or settled for less. What a load of crap. We’ve come a long way from when cavemen used to drag their women by the hair where ever their next conquest took them, but sometimes I think we have come way too far to a point where we get in our own ways most of the time. Make it simple not complicated.

]]> By: Sasquatch http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-446201 Sasquatch Sun, 18 Apr 2010 20:30:40 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-446201 As a tallish, sturdyish woman, I already feel a bit outsized among women; I don't want to feel outsized with my romantic partner too. It's not an absolute requirement that the man be heavier, but it is definitely a preference. (I remember changing a flat tire with a very slender ex, who weighed what I did, but at several inches taller: he couldn't get the old tire unstuck, but I could. It was a very awkward moment.) As a tallish, sturdyish woman, I already feel a bit outsized among women; I don’t want to feel outsized with my romantic partner too. It’s not an absolute requirement that the man be heavier, but it is definitely a preference.

(I remember changing a flat tire with a very slender ex, who weighed what I did, but at several inches taller: he couldn’t get the old tire unstuck, but I could. It was a very awkward moment.)

]]> By: Violet http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-445751 Violet Tue, 13 Apr 2010 08:47:16 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-445751 That is a dilemma. Many men consider high heels sexy. But being too tall is not considered sexy (an exception to this are models). Thus for tall women it can become a game of "how do I wear high looking heels that are not actually very high" :) That is a dilemma.

Many men consider high heels sexy. But being too tall is not considered sexy (an exception to this are models).

Thus for tall women it can become a game of “how do I wear high looking heels that are not actually very high” :)

]]> By: floodplain http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-445710 floodplain Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:57:41 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-445710 When they find that ex. women like tall men, but men don't like tall women, they don't distinguish who is driving the preference. The results are consistent with Women liking tall men but men don't have a preference in height for women. Men avoid women taller than them thinking they stand little chance. Men like short women but women don't have a preference in height. Tall women avoid men shorter than them thinking they stand little chance. Or both. Ditto for weight. When they find that ex. women like tall men, but men don’t like tall women, they don’t distinguish who is driving the preference.

The results are consistent with

Women liking tall men but men don’t have a preference in height for women. Men avoid women taller than them thinking they stand little chance.

Men like short women but women don’t have a preference in height. Tall women avoid men shorter than them thinking they stand little chance.

Or both.

Ditto for weight.

]]> By: Doug S. http://www.overcomingbias.com/2010/04/women-want-heavy-men.html#comment-445705 Doug S. Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:16:38 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=22538#comment-445705 Supposedly, high heels change the way women stand and walk, creating an effect that is considered attractive. Supposedly, high heels change the way women stand and walk, creating an effect that is considered attractive.

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