Why Girls Like Bad Boys
Most everyone knows – or at least knows of – the stereotypical “bad boy.” The guy with such high self
esteem he could be described as a narcissist. The guy who wins women over with deceit, callousness,
and impulsive behavior. Basically, the type of guy who resembles a real-life version of Hugh Grant's
character in "Bridget Jones' Diary."
The success of so many "bad boys" with women seems to add weight to the popular saying, "good guys
finish last." And there might be more than just a grain of truth in these mantras about bad boys; new
research suggests that they might actually be attracting more women than the "nicer" boys.
Researchers at New Mexico State University gave 200 college students personality tests to see how
many of what psychologists call "dark triad traits" they possessed. These traits include callousness,
impulsive behavior, extroversion, narcissism and various other anti-social traits for which "bad boys"
are known.
According to Peter Jonason, lead study investigator, although society tends to look down upon these
"negative" dark triad personality traits, there seems to be quite a positive side to being a bad boy. "We
would traditionally consider these dark triad traits to be bad personality traits and we think women
would avoid these kinds of men, but it appears that women are attracted to these bad boys and they
do pretty well in terms of sheer numbers of sexual partners," Jonason explained. "They're taking
quantity over quality as their sexual agenda, having multiple partners or one-night stands."
Jonason compared the type of "dark triad bad boy" as a modern-day James Bond figure – a man with
little empathy for others, a penchant for fast cars and even faster women, and a seeker of short-term
rather than long-term goals – especially concerning the opposite sex. And because these characters
appear to be successful at achieving their short-term goals – which, in this case, is a short-term sexual
relationship – Jonason explains, "If you like someone and want to meet them and date them, people
who have the dark triad traits appear to be more successful at facilitating short-term mating."
But some experts say it might not be so simple. Some believe that these narcissistic males tend to
embellish the self-reported tales of their own sexual conquest, leading others to believe they are more
sexually successful than they really are. Everett Worthington, professor of psychology at Virginia
Commonwealth University, notes that while some of these males may be more successful at shortterm
sexual relationships, their overall success with long-term relationships is often sacrificed by their
dark triad traits.
"The manipulative, 'it's all about me, so tell 'em anything to get sex' behavior is likely to have more
short-term sexual success," Worthington said. "A strategy of building trust and intimacy and
commitment is, by nature, going to take longer. Thus, the long-term relationship survival is likely to
be strongly disadvantaged in people with dark triad traits." So maybe good guys don't always finish
last.
QUESTIONS
(1) What is your impression of a “bad boy”? Do you have any friends, or have you met or dated anyone who were “bad
boys”? How was your experience knowing them?
(2) The saying goes: “Good girls like bad boys.” What does this mean? Do you agree that bad boys are more popular than
nicer boys? Why do women tend prefer bad boys?
(3) The article suggests that bad boys are more successful in a short-term relationship than a long-term one. In your
personal life, is there a distinction between a person who is suitable for a short-term relationship and someone who can be
relied on to have a long-term relationship?
(4) According to the article, bad boys are “taking quantity over quality.” Do you think that “quantity” (experience in having
more boyfriends, girlfriends, or lovers) matters in a relationship? And what do you think about the bad boys’ attitude
towards aiming at “quantity” over “quality” in a relationship?
(5) If women are said to be more attracted to bad boys than nice boys, it is the same for men? Do men prefer bad girls?
Explain what “good girls” mean. What type of women do men prefer?