If you’ve spent time watching YouTube videos, you may have stumbled upon a classic video featuring Dana McLendon. The lawyer, who is an outspoken gun-rights advocate and a married father of two, is best known for his whiteboard presentation of a compelling graphic. Full of deep wisdom, it’s title is the hot/crazy matrix: a lesson for every man. Watch it when you have a few minutes to spare.
What is The Hot/Crazy Matrix
Know this: there is an ideal mix of crazy and hot in a romantic partner. Ideally, avoiding extremes balance provides you with stability and satisfaction. Be careful, because if you pursue women solely based on looks, you could end up trapped in a really toxic relationship. Behold, the infamous video which really breaks down the rationale behind the matrix. Pay close attention and you’ll save yourself a lot of time and a lot of heartbreak!
The Hot/Crazy Matrix: Backed By Science
Yes, the video is entertaining, but is it rooted in any fact? Surprisingly, psychologists at Bishop Grosseteste University and the Nottingham Trent University put together a study to find out. The study intended to understand the following questions:
What are the real motivations behind our mating choices?
What characteristics are we willing to overlook in relationships?
And do they differ between men and women?
The scientists launched two studies with hundreds of participants. The first was “The Attractive x Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) matrix study”, better known as the hot and crazy. Alternatively, the second was “The Attractive x Wealth Matrix Study”, which measured hot and wealthy.
Participants were presented with combinations of both high and low scoring attractive faces, BPD profiles, and wealth status. The subjects were asked about the “extent you would want to be romantically involved with this person” on a short and long term dating basis. They ranked their responses on a scale of 0 to 100.
The Results
Unsurprisingly, attractiveness was the number one priority for men, who were willing to pursue high BDP women for both long and term relationships. Sadly, it appears the men demonstrated no ability to anticipate the future consequences of choosing a woman who was clearly insane.
Predictably, both wealth and personality dominated women’s long term relationship preferences. They too, would entertain crazy and attractive men, but only for short term relations. Women demonstrated sound rationale in their decisions, prioritizing long-term traits like emotional and financial stability. Shockingly, women determined attractiveness as an impediment to a long term relationship.
The scientists conducting the study noted “it would be thought as the optimal option, that the most attractive wealthy men would elicit higher datable ratings, however, low attractive wealthy men were more desirable.”
Implications
Scientifically, men are more inclined to think with the wrong head, choosing good looks above all. However, if you’ve watched the presentation by Dana McLendon, you’ll understand the danger in said decision. While it may be difficult to turn down a super hot woman and insane woman, the blame cannot be entirely placed on ourselves.
Psychologists were in agreement that these results aligned with the evolutionary theory of mate preferences. Predominantly determined by each sex’s responsibilities around reproduction, pregnancy, is ultimately the female’s responsibility. As such, women seek stable mates who can provide for her and her offspring. Their fear of being cheated on may cause them to settle with less attractive men, but their overall needs remain met even if he’s not very hot.
Alternatively, men seek the most attractive female they can find, as it signals she is healthy enough for childbirth and passing on his DNA. Sadly, her personality may not matter as much, because if she turns out to be crazy, he can leave. Avoid this, because while that may have been an effective move in caveman days, modern man doesn’t have that luxury. The family courts will bury him with child support bills, and he will be shunned by the community.
Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
-Your Big Bro
