Figures of the seventh art with a reputation as ruffians like James Dean, Charlie Sheen or Mickey Rourke They obey the same profile: the charismatic man, with a conflictive, aggressive personality, with bomb-proof self-confidence; capable of anything. The classic tough guy.
An intriguing facet that is a common denominator in a large part of people with this profile is the idea that they are much more attractive It could be a simple myth magnified by the mystique that these subjects give off, or it could actually be a real trend.
Some men wonder why they always make friends with kind and attentive boys , while they go out and have relationships with complete cretins. Are men and women so different?
This paradox has caused rivers of ink (and tears!) to flow, and although many have formulated theories to explain it, The causes of the greater attractiveness of tough guys have not been carefully studied Luckily, this same year, research carried out at the University of Durham came to light that provides interesting data on this issue.
Masculine traits: tough guys?
Since the human being is a social animal, how is it possible that this type of personality, in a certain antisocial way, is conserved at an evolutionary level? And above all, Why is it especially attractive?
A greater proportion of men than women fit the psychological profile known as dark triad either Dark Triad This personality profile is observed in people with prominent narcissistic traits, psychopathic tendencies and Machiavellianism. This gives the subject a despotic attitude and a self-perception of superiority over others.
Research shows that narcissism occurs in many more men than women , regardless of the cultural substrate. It is a trait that is based on the excess value that one assumes for oneself. These are individuals with an air of greatness, who consider themselves special and who demand preferential treatment from others. They get angry if their merits and talent are not recognized. Several studies suggest that narcissism is linked to casual mating in men, as it is associated with their “ability to compete with other men, and to discard sexual partners after intercourse.” It was also observed that they are less monogamous because they tend to maintain relationships more frequently and in a chain.
2. Psychopathy
Psychopathy is detected in lack of empathy which leads the subject to base their relationships based on criteria of individual benefit. They have a superfluous emotional response and antisocial behavior. Men with these traits usually transmit a fake superficial charm and a communicativeness that frequently provides them with scenarios for specific relationships.
3. Machiavellianism
Finally, Machiavellianism is based on duplicity and the tendency to manipulate social relations in one’s favor , in a certainly complex and timely way. It also gives rise to short-term mating situations. They tend to be people with great emotional intelligence, however they use it for their own benefit. Some research has revealed that the Machiavellian psychological profile is strongly associated with sexual promiscuity.
Studies carried out until 2013 linked the dark triad profile with sexual success well above average Despite this, the authors of the research in question detected that previous studies were based on data provided by the participants themselves, which could have distorted the results, since participants with dark triad could have magnified the number of relationships sexual relations that they would have had. In this way, the authors of the following study questioned the opinion of women, and designed their study to elucidate why they find men from the dark triad more attractive, if such a trend is really true.
In a previous article, we asked if opposite poles attract, and the conclusions that Psychology provides in this regard are certainly interesting.
The study carried out by G. Carter, A. Campbell and S. Muncer (2013) set out to test whether the dark triad categorization really was a male psychological profile with greater success among women.
The researchers gathered a group of 128 women between 18 and 36 years old, who were presented with a man with psychological characteristics typical of the Dark Triad and another with a normal psychological profile, without the elements typical of the Dark Triad. After finishing watching the presentations, they were asked which of the two men they found more attractive.
The results were the following: Men with Dark Triad personality (narcissists, Machiavellians and psychopaths) scored better than men in the control group
It seems that the three traits of the dark triad represented, by themselves, aspects of the personality that were attractive, apart from other traits such as extroversion, which also improved the average.
According to the study by G. Carter, A. Campbell and S. Muncer, combined with previous ones in this field, it seems clear that The antisocial traits typical of the dark triad seem to provide social and marital success to this type of subject , thanks to their Machiavellian control over themselves and over social interactions, which allows them to develop interactions where communication skills, a good image and the ability to make their partner feel special give them tools to attract and seduce. However, in the medium and long term this success would be very questionable, since they would be incapable of establishing medium and long-term relationships.
Carter and his colleagues offered two hypotheses about this phenomenon. On one hand, considered that sexual selection may play an important role This would indicate that women detect the signs of these “masculine qualities” that offer good indicators of reproduction. As for specific relationships, this would explain the attraction that women feel towards that personality profile; self-confident, reckless, irreverent.
In his second hypothesis, they exposed the factor of sexual conflict Women could respond to a man’s ability to show off his qualities, thus differentiating themselves from the rest. The men of the Dark Triad are very skilled manipulators and seducers, which makes it easy for them to offer an ideal image of themselves to a potential partner. Another thing is that women also chose this type of man to be their husband, or the father of their children, since, according to the study by D. Asquith (2014), only Women with profiles close to the dark triad preferred men of the same personality profile for their long-term marital relationships
