Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Boobs or Intelligence?

Dr. Helen asks whether men really prefer intelligence to big breasts:
A new study shows men prefer intelligence in women to breasts. Here is the article from the scientific People magazine entitled "A Weight Off of Women's Chests: New Research Shows Men Prefer Intelligence to Breasts" (via Ironshrink) :

    Yup, that's the sound of cynical women everywhere breathing a long sigh of relief.

    A woman's intelligence is considered far more attractive to a man than her breast size, according to University of Cambridge professor David Bainbridge, who researches evolutionary biology.

    Intelligence, Bainbridge asserted at last weekend's Hay Festival, shows that a woman is more likely to be a successful parent – which, evolutionarily, is more favorable than huge breasts.

    Pointing to new research, Bainbridge took the claim even further. "Breast size doesn't matter," he told festival-goers, shocking just about every woman who's ever been insecure about her chest. (So ... every woman?) "Actually, large breasts are more likely to be asymmetric, and men are more attracted to symmetry."
Spacebunny, in addition to looking rather fetching in a bikini, is of a scientific turn of mind, and therefore attempted to replicate the study's results. Her findings:
  • 59% Boobs
  • 41% Intelligence
And she's okay with that. Because science. And history.

"Boobs have arguably done more for children and society than all the intelligent women put together."
- Spacebunny

50 comments:

Artisanal Toad said...

"Boobs have arguably done more for children and society than all the intelligent women put together."
- Spacebunny


That's because breastfeeding for the first year will give the child a statistically significant increase in intelligence.

The three major reasons breastfeeding is always superior to bottle-feeding is with breasts, the formula is perfect, the temperature is always correct and the container is way cuter.

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Robert What? said...

There is a good reason to choose an intelligent woman for marriage or LTR. (Note, I didn't say educated - which is no indication of intelligence). Boys inherit a lot of their intelligence from their mother. A stupid woman will most likely give birth to stupid sons regardless of the father's intelligence.

frenchy said...

The way I see it, this is what first attracts a man to a woman: generally in shape (you see, or can see, an hourglass); long hair; pretty face; nice rack; hip to waste ratio (.7 or greater); nice butt; nice legs; and straight teeth. Anything else is a plus.

Anchorman said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anchorman said...

I'm a leg man. Big breasts can come with thickness all around. How often do you find nice stems on a fattie?

How about a picture of a 21 year old woman with pitch perfect sweater bunnies and a picture of a woman with her nose in a book, so you can't see her face or tell if she's a manatee?

Or, simpler, a picture of taut loveliness and a picture of a book. Then ask, which turns you on? If a "man" answers, "The book tickles my pickle!" show him to the nearest bath house.

liberranter said...

I'd say that Professor Bainbridge doesn't get out much.

Unknown said...

The research actually says that curvy girls produce more intelligent children: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2915086/Fat-women-s-bottoms-makes-babies-brains-say-scientists-curvy-girls-producing-intelligent-children.html

Teh original paper in the author's website: http://www.davidbainbridge.org/07curvology.htm

How that got interpreted as the headline above escapes me.

R Devere said...

Actually, its the NIPPLES which are key to enjoying breasts. Ugly, misshapen aureolae and weird nipples are a complete turn-off, even if the woman is pretty and otherwise shapely.

Think about it: When TV or hi-tone photography shows a woman nude from the waist up , what part of her is "fuzzed out"? The NIPPLES! Those the real erotic parts.

Timmy3 said...

As usual, it's a false choice. You could say an intelligent woman is not as hot. A big boob woman can be smart, but not always. Women should say as little as possible.

CostelloM said...

Men tend to want what don't have. So I guess it is possible that as American men have gotten stupider and grown big tits themselves they would want the opposite in their women.

PhantomZodak said...

i've banged smart girls with B cups & stupid girls with natural D cups. I'd rather have a big breasted dumb girl.

Harambe said...

No, what men like is women who can flirt back. One of the most boring conversations I ever had with a woman was on Plato (which she brought up).

Didact said...

It's a simple test. Jessica Simpson, circa The Dukes of Hazzard, versus Mila Kunis from... whenever, really.

Or better yet, Megan Fox from the first two Transformers films, versus Mayim Bialik.

Yep. Boobs win, every time. Spacebunny was, unsurprisingly, quite correct.

Which leads me to ask... what the HELL is wrong with the 41% of men who answered otherwise?!?

Oddly enough, if you look at the details of Prof. Bainbridge's study, that howler about intelligence being preferred over looks is mitigated by several other findings that confirm quite a bit of ancient wisdom concerning male preferences in women.

The problem with his study is that he forgot to account for things that men ACTUALLY look for in women, and he didn't understand that our definition of "intelligence" in a woman encompasses far more than pure IQ.

7916 said...

The men who said intelligence are value signaling, because it's sexist to say you prefer boobs.

Smart girls that act smart but stay silent are far preferable over the mouthy smart girls who end up snarky and alone. A woman who knows when to shut up and has big boobs > all others. She will find happiness.

Hammerli 280 said...

I'm with Anchorman. Good legs are more important than bust size. YMMV, of course. I do think there's a floor of intelligence...the dumb bimbo may be a ONS, but do you really want a wife with a room-temperature IQ and the frustrations that go with it?

Having said that, a woman can do a lot for herself by dressing well. Then avoid being rude or cruel. Women are admonished to watch how men treat the wait staff - and forget that men are watching how THEY behave, as well. Be kind if you can.

Matamoros said...

@Robert What? "Boys inherit a lot of their intelligence from their mother. A stupid woman will most likely give birth to stupid sons regardless of the father's intelligence. "

Actually barring nutritional problems in the mother, it is the opposite. A lot of female intelligence is pass through as far a children go. Intelligence in the children comes from the father.

Oliver Märk said...

http://freedompowerandwealth.com
Dr. Helen is not getting the point. Some people are very good in always missing what is important. There are people who may be unprecisely right but there are others who are always precisely wrong (a free interpretation of a famous quote of the former German chancellor Adenauer by my).

Unknown said...

Also check out the poll in the Telegraph's article:
"Do you value intelligence above all else in your partner?"? Yes/No

Bias much? Spacebunny's poll is way more scientific.

tweell said...

SMV=boobs. MMV=brains. Total package=win! With the marriage strike getting underway, it's not surprising that boobs>brains.

Athor Pel said...

Think of it this way.

Boobs are the qualifier.
Intelligence, or rather the lack thereof, is the disqualifier.

Jehu said...

In my experience, you don't really have to choose unless you're in a really dysfunctional marriage market (like Alaska if you're a guy). You pretty much get a woman at the same approximate attractiveness percentile regardless, and you don't actually "Pay" for anything that's not direct physical attractiveness. Basically, if you're, say, an 80th-90th percentile guy in terms of status, you're going to probably get an 80th-90th percentile girl in attractiveness, and within that subset, you're probably going to get a woman within a sigma or sigma and a half of your intelligence.
The sad part is 80th-90th percentile doesn't buy what it once did (you need like 75th percentile in the US just to command women that aren't overweight and are above the mean in attractiveness otherwise, 80-90 bought a lot more in the 80s).

Stg58/Animal Mother said...

Artisanal Toad,

You're a virgin right? What do boobs actually feel like?

Natalie said...

Yeah, sounds like a false dichotomy to me. The higher value the guy the more likely he's going to land a girl with boobs and brains. The way my husband tells it - if I hadn't done it for him we would never have been more than acquaintances, but we weren't able to talk about things that matter to him then there's a fair chance he wouldn't have married me either.

Pro-tip women: there's a way to talk to men that leaves them feeling like a fine clever fellow, and there's a way that leaves them feeling bludgeoned. Do the former. Don't do the latter.

Dalrock said...

People magazine entitled "A Weight Off of Women's Chests: New Research Shows Men Prefer Intelligence to Breasts"

They are even more off base about what women want to be wanted for. Those who believe women want to be valued for their brains should tell their wives (or a woman at a bar for that matter) that you like them better than other women because you prefer brains over great breasts. Report back.

Anonymous said...

Asses, eyebrows and thick hair for me in the appearance department. Smiles, laughing/having a sense humor and communication on the personality front.

Boobs have their purpose. But put me in the symmetry group as far as their attractiveness. Not a fan of long nips either. Boob size is overrated.

In the end there has to be some intelligence to communicate. So I guess intelligence >>> boobs. But depending upon the context, I could go boobs >>> intelligence. If we are talking boob appearance or attractiveness vs iq 140 to iq 120. Then it's boobs. If it's iq 75, then I'll take my chances on imperfect boobs.

LAZ said...

"Or better yet, Megan Fox from the first two Transformers films, versus Mayim Bialik.

Yep. Boobs win, every time. Spacebunny was, unsurprisingly, quite correct"

That's not boobs, that's pretty vs ugly pure and simple.

Aeoli Pera said...

That aisle at the grocery store full of beauty products is just part of the patriarchy's cover story.

Aeoli Pera said...

Boys inherit a lot of their intelligence from their mother. A stupid woman will most likely give birth to stupid sons regardless of the father's intelligence.

I'm interested. Is that an observation or can you recommend some reading material?

(Note, I didn't say educated - which is no indication of intelligence).

Not a perfect indicator, but a strong one. I'm a fervent anti-education nutjob, but we have to look at the facts on the ground. University admissions are doing a pretty good job of stratifying intelligence according to prestige. Girls, as a group, are much more conscientious than boys when it comes to academics. So the limiting factors tend to be A) intelligence and B) life trajectory (which only takes effect post-bachelor's).

Aeoli Pera said...

Note that we're looking at the 100-130 IQ range here, and presuming that the average girl in this range is reasonably responsive to school pressures.

SQT said...

I'm not busty (I'm more the leggy/slim type) and I think my husband was *more* attracted to me because all the women in his family were the busty, borderline fat, body type. He just isn't into women who look like his mom or his sister- not that I could blame him. That said, I think our shared values mattered more than the initial attraction.

Stg58/Animal Mother said...

SQT,

You're missing the fact that the initial attraction had to be there to have made your husband want to know more.

Hammerli 280 said...

Looks are bait. Personality is the hook. Character is the line. You can't fish without all three.

Anonymous said...

heh. Men might prefer brains when we're choosing wives but they sure aren't gonna get our dicks stiff.

SQT said...


You're missing the fact that the initial attraction had to be there to have made your husband want to know more.


I got that part. My point was that attraction has many factors that can't always be easily defined-- though I'm sure most guys would say boobs are a huge bonus. And, as a defense of us less bosomy types, my boobs look as good now as they did when I was 20. Better actually; they're bigger now. :)

R Devere said...

"As usual, it's a false choice. You could say an intelligent woman is not as hot. A big boob woman can be smart, but not always. Women should say as little as possible."

Everyone knows women should be obscene and not heard!

Matamoros said...

The problem is an "intelligent woman" is simply shorthand for a "strong intelligent empowered woman". No thanks, I'll take the boobs.

Intelligence in a woman is only of value if she can subordinate it to the marriage and husband, otherwise it equals rebellion.

Matamoros said...

Hammerli280 said... "Looks are bait. Personality is the hook. Character is the line. You can't fish without all three."

I notice you left out intelligence. I agree that these three give something to build upon and maintain interest in the woman for a LTR.

Stg58/Animal Mother said...


You're missing the fact that the initial attraction had to be there to have made your husband want to know more.

I got that part. My point was that attraction has many factors that can't always be easily defined-- though I'm sure most guys would say boobs are a huge bonus. And, as a defense of us less bosomy types, my boobs look as good now as they did when I was 20. Better actually; they're bigger now. :)


go on...

Hammerli 280 said...

Actually, Matamoros, I'd put intelligence as a part of personality. I can stand dealing with an idiot only so long, and certainly don't want to marry one. But as I've said, intelligence is a floor. No bonus points for exceeding it. And never confuse intelligence with educational credentials.

Stilicho said...

"Look at the IQ on her"... said no man, ever...

Student in Blue said...

Boys inherit a lot of their intelligence from their mother. A stupid woman will most likely give birth to stupid sons regardless of the father's intelligence.

Huh? I thought the opposite was true.

Austin Ballast said...

my boobs look as good now as they did when I was 20. Better actually; they're bigger now.

Gravity has a way of enhancing that in some cases. My wife looks better now in her chest than she did when she was younger. A nice unplanned benefit.

My wife's think and reasonable figure made her attractive to me, not a huge chest. This study is far too limited assuming only 2 attraction points, especially when one produces many contentious women.

John Williams said...

The three major reasons breastfeeding is always superior to bottle-feeding is with breasts, the formula is perfect, the temperature is always correct and the container is way cuter.
With each feeding about 300 calories are sucked out of the mothers body, not to mention, the milk has a lifetime of antibodies that are a genetic match for the kid.

SQT said...

"go on..."

Lol. Nothing too salacious to tell. No surgery or anything like that. I simply filled out a bit after having kids- in the bustline not the waistline.

dc.sunsets said...

I noticed some men talk about dating DD's. I can only wonder, however, what the conversation is like later.

Stupid people are boring. This includes stupid women. Slender, serene and smart worked for me then and now.

Dexter said...

The gamma protagonist is the happiest of men, because he gets a woman with boobs and intelligence! And red hair. And physical strength. And masterful military / fighting skills. And an incomprehensible desire for a low-achieving mate.

Gospace said...

Instapundit, Dr. Helen's husband, had the best comment on this. "Embrace the power of 'and'". Why not prefer both?

tz said...

Does much to explain feminism.
Those silicone brain implants seem to have an effect.

tz said...

Breasts usually get bigger because of pregnancy.
What was the survey question?
Explain "Babies suck"

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