Poor Harvey

Fox has reported on a study of 82 couples that found that “couples where the wife is more attractive, both partners tended to be very content [and vise versa].” This would seem to bode well for us average looking guys, but that’s not the end of the story. (Though it is the end of the news story, demonstrating one of many problems I have with the way lay media reports scientific stories. I’m surprised I haven’t already written about this.) Notice that the study says nothing about whether women are likely to select partners based on what makes for a content relationship. It may well be that they nonetheless selectively favor the Adonis to the Harvey despite the fact Harvey would make for a happier home. In fact, there are studies that demonstrate women choose tall guys over short--a factor hardly related to a happy home life. It seems Harvey’s doubly screwed if he’s short!

And once again we see that in a world full of lonely folks many happy relationships go unrealized because we place too much stock in what our eyes see.