Why do women have one-night stands with bad boys, but they marry the well-behaved men?
When it comes to passing on their genes, women inherit a Dual Agenda. They need a secure nest for fifteen years to raise a healthy baby. And they need good genes to make a healthy baby. The best nest might come from her husband. The best genes might come from somebody else’s husband. It’s hard to get both in the same guy. Nest-securing and gene-sneaking are two different strategies, what scientists call “two overlapping suites of psychological adaptations in women.” I call them the Toby McGuire Desire and the Tommy Lee Turn-On. When the woman is ovulating, she’s attracted to strong jaws, dangerous behavior, symmetry, is highly orgasmic, and, if married, she is more likely to commit adultery during those three to four fertile days of the month. When a woman is in the non-fertile phase of her cycle, she’s attracted to kind, funny, attentive gentlemen with income potential. She also prefers men with softer “feminine” features, meaning she wants cute rather than handsome. Lust and love are
