Why are women attracted to dangerous men?

Anaxagoras

I'm pretty sure you all are aware, or at least most of you are aware of the R. Kelly incident and the evidence he is facing against him regarding sexual contact with minors. He was recently incarcerated again for failing to pay over $161,000 in back child support. He was bonded out by an "unknown supporter," with that said, upon his release a supporter could be heard saying " R. Kelly I love you, please touch my hand."

Charles Manson, Bill Cosby, Jeremy Meeks, and now R. Kelly have all had their fair share of supporters and female fans. But what is it about these men that draws their allure from women, and why do women despite overwhelming evidence against a man who may have committed a crime continue to support men who are socially dangerous?

According to research by Gregory Louis Carter of the University of Durham, his research highlights that women are attracted to men with "Dark Triad" personality traits (or DT). People with DT refers to personality traits such as narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy. According to Carter's research, "his team presented 128 female undergraduates with the descriptions of two types of male characters: Dark Triads and controls. The high Dark Triad self- description encompassed traits from the "Dirty Dozen" measure, which includes: a desire for attention, admiration, favors, and prestige; the manipulation, exploitation, deceit and flattery of others; a lack of remorse, morality concerns and sensitivity, and cynicism. (The ‘Dirty Dozen’ is a condensed version of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, Mach-IV, and Psychopathy Scale-III). The control self-description purposefully matched the high Dark Triad description, but it dropped out the dark personality traits.

After being presented with one of these two characters, the participants answered questions along a six-point scale about the attractiveness of the individual's personality (they also rated the characters for the Big Five personality traits, which is beyond the scope of this post). In addition, factors known to influence attractiveness ratings, such as wealth and education level, were omitted in order to reduce the possibility of bias. The investigators then ran their analyses." (Source:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/head-games/201310/why-do-women-fall-bad-boys)

Apparently Carter's research found that women found the Dark Triad personality more attractive than the control. I realize this is one measure for theory but what are your views?

Deleteduserrc

Most people, deep down, feel like there is something unique about them, something valuable, that the rest of the world doesn't quite see or understand. Even for those who don't feel that, they probably have a latent desire to feel valued in that way.

Being valued in this way feels more valuable if it comes from someone confident, who seems to be unconcerned with adhering to social convention. It feels somehow purer, and more authentic.

If someone strong appears to see through all the bullshit in the world, yet still values you - that's druglike.

Of course, when we're talking about dark triad, it's all smoke and mirrors. It's flattery and illusion. But it's easy to miss that - or be willingly blind to it - when the attention being directed your way taps so directly into your primal need for recognition and attention.

Deleteduserrc

A quote from David Foster Wallace, which gets at this. (He seems to have been pretty dark triad himself, despite his compulsive need to present as a moralist.)

"The next suitable person you’re in light conversation with, you stop suddenly in the middle of the conversation and look at the person closely and say, “What’s wrong?” You say it in a concerned way. He’ll say, “What do you mean?” You say, “Something’s wrong. I can tell. What is it?” And he’ll look stunned and say, “How did you know?” He doesn’t realize something’s always wrong, with everybody. Often more than one thing. He doesn’t know everybody’s always going around all the time with something wrong and believing they’re exerting great willpower and control to keep other people, for whom they think nothing’s ever wrong, from seeing it.”"

Deleteduserrc

If you really want to go down the rabbit hole.

Anaxagoras

Of course, when we're talking about dark triad, it's all smoke and mirrors. It's flattery and illusion. — csalisbury

Interesting perspective. I've read some other psychobiological articles relating to this article as well, I'm starting to think there must be some modified psychological mechanism inherent in males and females that patterns us after these qualities (e.g. narcissism) which may make us attractive this way maybe?

Anaxagoras

↪csalisbury

Wow that is very interesting....!

Deleteduserrc

which may make us attractive this way maybe? — Anaxagoras

Not sure if I'm interpreting this right - are you saying you identify as dark triad?

Anaxagoras

↪csalisbury

No. Said it as in general

Michael Ossipoff

↪Anaxagoras

Natural selection. Dangerous men, violent men, by harming others, can do better for themselves (and their female partner and their offspring).

Females who get with violent men therefore have more surviving offspring, and so the preference for violent men increases in the population.

If you want a good blatant example in a movie, I suggest Back To The Future.

Michael Ossipoff

12 Sa
0336 UTC

Anaxagoras

Natural selection. Dangerous men, violent men, by harming others, can do better for themselves (and their female partner and their offspring). — Michael Ossipoff

How?

Females who get with violent men therefore have more surviving offspring, — Michael Ossipoff

How does that fit in the hunter-gatherer model?

Michael Ossipoff

"Natural selection. Dangerous men, violent men, by harming others, can do better for themselves (and their female partner and their offspring)." — Michael Ossipoff

How? — Anaxagoras

By bashing anyone who competes with them for food, or status in the group.

"Females who get with violent men therefore have more surviving offspring," — Michael Ossipoff

How does that fit in the hunter-gatherer model?

Among other social hunter-gatherer species, such as chimpanzees and wolves, there's a pecking-order of status in the group, in which higher status confers preferential access to food and mating opportunity.

Michael Ossipoff

12 Su
1557 UTC

Athena

The main part of the brain responsible for processing emotions, the limbic system, is sometimes called the "emotional brain" [source: Brodal]. Part of the limbic system, called the amygdala, assesses the emotional value of stimuli.

The area for fear and sexual arousal are close, resulting in fear intensifying sexual arousal or the reverse can happen, with fear shutting down sexual arousal. Some Chinese emperors used torturing other people to intensifying their yang energy.

Neuron420

I have been in a one percent motorcycle club for over 20 years and I have seen and experienced women that seem to be attracted to alpha type males that foster the bad boy image that is being talked about. This is purely my take on the whys and wherefores to that behavior.

Many women are attracted to "bad boys" because it is so outside of their regular life style. Most do not stick around or stay within the biker scene because the newness and excitement wears off or they become disenchanted with losing themselves in a male dominated culture. Although there are plenty that were either raised within the culture, i.e. their dad, brother, or close relative was in a club and that is the life they know and feel comfortable in, or they decide that they like the feeling of belonging to an outsider society, or community. Many stay because they find a good, trustworthy partner that is actually more alpha than "bad boy". After all, people always want to belong to something that gives their life meaning and to fit in and be respected.

Why are women attracted to dangerous men?

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