Dating a attractive guy

Long Story Short

So we finally know why women date less attractive guys: it makes them happier.

Long Story

We've all seen it. A gorgeous woman arm-in-arm with an average guy. Ok, he's below average.

But how could this happen? We spend so much time putting these women on a pedestal thinking that they're off with Prince Charming and they're over there with that balding dude who has a pot belly (no offense to bald guys and guys with pot bellies).

But now it looks like we finally have an answer to this age-old mystery, and I'm not talking about the reason why David Spade gets so many hotties.

*Clears throat.* Women who date men that are less attractive tend to be happier.

This surprising conclusion comes out of a Florida State University study where doctoral student Tania Reynolds and Assistant Professor of Psychology Andrea Meltzer examined 113 newlywed couples in their late twenties (seen via Maxim). Reynolds and Meltzer rated the participants based on their attractiveness and had them fill out a questionnaire about dieting.

Women who were dating the men rated more attractive had more of a strict -- and unhealthy -- relationship to dieting. They responded affirmatively to questions like: “I feel extremely guilty after eating,” “I like my stomach to be empty,” and “I’m terrified of gaining weight.”

Obsessing over every calorie is not healthy and it doesn't make you happy.

On the flip side, women who were rated more attractive than their male counterpart didn't care as much about dieting. They're apparently cool with eating a bowl of ice cream from time to time since their dude can't really say sh*t when he's not much of a looker. Comfort = happiness.

“The results reveal that having a physically attractive husband may have negative consequences for wives, especially if those wives are not particularly attractive,” Reynolds said.

This is terrific news for the unsightly among us, but what if you turn heads when your shirt comes off? Reynolds suggests men shower their women with compliments -- no matter what their belly looks like.

“One way to help these women is for partners to be very reaffirming, reminding them, ‘You’re beautiful. I love you at any weight or body type,’” Reynolds said. “Or perhaps focusing on the ways they are a good romantic partner outside of attractiveness and emphasizing those strengths: ‘I really value you because you’re a kind, smart and supportive partner.’”

Oh, what a double-standard society we live in.