Why you shouldn’t let your mother set you up on a date
While physical attractiveness was key for both mothers and daughters, mothers were more likely to choose unattractive men with desirable qualities for their daughters. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- When it comes to placing physical attractiveness above other desirable qualities in a potential partner, both men and women are guilty.
- Also, seeing as standards of what is considered attractive shift with age, your mother may not be the go-to person when it comes to getting approval for that man you are eyeing or dating.
Are you one of those lucky women who have a dream relationship with their mother?
Well, if findings of an interesting new study are anything to go by, there is one area your life you should keep her out of – your love life.
According to a study conducted by the Eastern Connecticut State University in the US, if you let your mother set you up with a potential partner, she will lower your standards. She might have the best intentions but she will not choose the right partner for you.
For the study, the researchers looked at the dating preferences of 80 women aged between 15 and 29.
The women and their mothers were shown three photographs of men with varying degrees of attractiveness. Each photo was paired with traits such as honest, respectful, trustworthy, friendly, dependable and mature.
The study subjects were then asked to rate the photographs and say whether or not they would date them, and their mothers were asked whether they would want their daughters to date them.
The results showed that while physical attractiveness was key for both mothers and daughters, mothers were more likely to choose unattractive men with desirable qualities for their daughters.
Explaining these findings Dr. Madeleine Fugère, the study lead, says, “We conclude that a minimum level of physical attraction is a necessity for both women and their mothers. It might also mean that women and their mothers have different notions of what constitutes a minimally acceptable level of physical attractiveness with women employing more stringent standards than their mothers.”
These findings, which have been published in the current edition of Evolutionary Physical Science journal, show that when it comes to placing physical attractiveness above other desirable qualities in a potential partner, both men and women are guilty.
Also, seeing as standards of what is considered attractive shift with age, your mother may not be the go-to person when it comes to getting approval for that man you are eyeing or dating. Go to your age mate instead.
