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Smart is the new sexy, says Dr. Helen Fisher.
By Helen Fisher
Written on Sep 08, 2023
Is “smart” sexy? Singles think so.
Today some 80% of singles say they “must have” or find it “very important” to have someone of the same level of intelligence.
And 89% would make a commitment to someone who is “considerably” better educated or more intellectual than themselves.
Why do we want a smart partner?
Because intelligence comes with a host of perks.
It is statistically correlated with having a higher income and a keener sense of humor, as well as with creativity, social savvy, better motor coordination, and skill at solving problems.
These are "sexy" smart traits:
- “Money” can buy an exciting weekend getaway.
- “Humor” and “creativity” boost dopamine activity, which, in turn, can trigger testosterone and sexual craving.
- “Good people skills” can translate into better communication between the sheets.
- A “well-coordinated” partner is exciting to watch in the sack.
- And those who are “skilled at solving problems” are likely to be better at resolving bedroom crises.
An anthropologist once asked a Kung Bushman living as a hunter in the grasslands of Botswana if he would marry a woman who was smarter than he was.
He replied, “Yes because she’d make me smart too.”
A smart partner might even make you smarter.
Ignorance is bliss? No way.
Smart is the new sexy.
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Helen Fisher Ph.D., is a biological anthropologist and Senior Research Fellow at The Kinsey Institute and Chief Scientific Advisor to the dating site Match. She is the author of the book The Anatomy of Love: A Natural History of Mating, Marriage, and Why We Stray, among other titles.
This article was originally published at Dr. Helen Fisher's blog. Reprinted with permission from the author.