Dealbreakers isn’t just a fictional show with 30 Rock‘s Liz Lemon at the helm. It’s a read deal, especially if you are navigating the ever-so-tricky world of dating.
As reported by the Wall Street Journal, these recent studies reveal the top dealbreakers for women and men. The top three most undesirable traits for both sexes? Being disheveled, lazy and/or too needy.
“Most folks will admit to having a list of specific negative qualities that make them reconsider a relationship with a potential mate,” WSJ states. “But now new research shows that people give more weight to these deal breakers than they do to the deal makers, or positive qualities, they hope to find in a person.”
Interesting. So dealbreakers are more important than positive traits when weighing a mate’s potential.
The findings come from a series of six studies published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, pulling together research from Western Sydney University, Indiana University, the University of Florida, Singapore Management University and Rutgers.
Collectively, researchers found that women have more dealbreakers than men, and “people who consider themselves a good catch have more deal breakers,” WSJ writes.
In one study of 5,541 U.S. adults rating 17 negative traits, the biggest dealbreakers for both sexes came down to the disheveled and unclean, lazy and too needy. See chart to the right for other top dealbreakers.
The other biggest complaints? Sex. More men, at 39 percent, consider a low sex drive a dealbreaker vs. 27 percent of women. However, women cite bad sex at 50 percent vs. men’s 44 percent a dealbreaker.
Another big point of contention? Intelligence.
Sadly, WSJ cites another recent study out of the University of Buffalo, California Lutheran University and the University of Texas at Austin that “found that men prefer not to date a woman who is smarter than they are.”
“Men are attracted to the idea of dating intelligent women — but don’t actually like the reality of it,” first reported the Independent on that charming news, to be published this November, also in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. “The findings…concluded that men find the prospect of dating intelligent women intimidating.”
Women, at 58 percent, consider a lack of a sense of humor to be a bigger dealbreaker than men at 50 percent. Humor is often seen to be a sign of higher intelligence.
Guys? Women want you to put that video game controller down, too, with 41 percent saying that too much TV and gaming is a dealbreaker.
What are some of your dealbreakers?
