Love

5 Surprising Ways Your Job Influences Who You're Attracted To

Photo: PeopleImages.com - Yuri A/ Shutterstock
couple leaning on each other

A while ago, we did a "Best And Worst Careers For Love" survey which highlighted, among other things, that the five worst careers when it comes to finding love are: journalism (ha), business ownership, healthcare, real estate, and law. This isn't terribly surprising given the long hours of these careers, and how long it takes to ascend to the top in all of them. 

But according to a 2012 survey from eHarmony, maybe if these work addicts went for the opposite type of profession when it came to scoping out a potential love interest, they'd be happier.

The online dating site looked at communication trends between their users to find out how they were influenced by people's careers.

It turns out that what you do for a living has a big influence on who you hit up online in your off-hours. Here are just a few of the tidbits they found.

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Here are 5 surprising facts about how a job influences who you're attracted to: 

1. Female business executives have the highest rate of communication with men who are barbers or hair stylists

Wait ... really? I don't see those two professions dating in real life too much. Maybe the businesswomen need hairstyle advice?

2. Women who consider themselves "stay at home" have the highest rate of communication with men who are dentists

Seemingly random, but I'm sure there's something to it.

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3. Unemployed men have the highest rate of communication with women who are personal trainers

Are the personal trainers supposed to get them off the couch and motivate them to find a job faster?

4. Female doctors have the highest rate of communication with men who are bankers

This makes sense because successful people tend to stick together, and even though these are very different professions, they can commiserate about their long hours after work, and understand each others' hectic schedules.

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5. Male bankers and analysts are very likely to communicate with female teachers

There's some sexist thinking involved here, and one theory that pops up over and over again is that "smart men like to date less intelligent women."

Now I'm not at all suggesting that teachers are less intelligent than bankers or analysts, but as a successful hedge fund guy told Jennifer Wright over at The Gloss, it's all about the scheduling:

"Dating a less successful woman isn't about wanting women to be dumb. It's about wanting someone who prioritizes their life in a way that's compatible with how you prioritize yours. I love my job, but I work all the time. ... [A teacher] has a more flexible schedule, she'll be able to accommodate me, and it's going to be easier. Why don't women do this too? Why don't they just date some beta male who works in a bookstore and will make dinner for them every night? Doesn't every successful person — man or woman — see how that's easier?"

There you go. We all just want someone who'll cook dinner for us every night. Maybe that's why business executives and hair stylists choose each other. On that note, it's almost 7 p.m., so I should really go home and heat up some Chinese food leftovers.

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Monica Green is a freelance writer who has contributed to Good Housekeeping, The Knot, and Bustle, among others.