College Times

Issue date: 7/17/08 Section: Sex

Media Credit: Photos.com

There's no denying it. It's hard to resist a bad boy. They've got that undeniable edge and unmistakable mystery that makes a woman's knees shake and lips quiver with excitement, but let's admit it - they also have a tendency to break hearts and are known for their shotgun style of hit-it-and-quit-it serial dating.

So why is it women keep coming back for more if they know bad boys are bad news?

University of Arizona student Liz Fleshman thinks it's because bad boys are a challenge and there's nothing women like more than the chase. "I have always been interested in bad boys for the fact that they seem so extreme that you won't be able to handle them. The attraction is so high because they give you that feeling of excitement and danger. Bad boys are just plain hot," that is if you consider narcissistic, thrill-seeking, callous, compulsive liars hot.

According to a recent study of 200 university students conducted by Peter Jonason and his colleagues at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, men who ranked highest for "dark triad" characteristics similar to that of the nature of Machiavellianism - exploitive, impulsive and deceitful - reported getting the most girls in bed because their venturesome personality type generates a compulsive desire to try new things, such as new and different women. Jonason and his colleagues believe their good fortune with women is due to the fact that they simply hit on more women than the average male, which, according to the law of averages, means they are more likely to succeed in their rapacious way of getting the girl.

David Schmitt of Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, found the same to be true throughout different cultures. In a survey of more than 35,000 people in 57 countries, he found a similar link between the dark triad and reproductive success in men, according to NewScientist.com.

The reason these traits have survived over generations, despite their negative social connotations, may be because of their link to a higher number of sexual partners, speculates Jonason. "We have some evidence that these three traits are really the same thing and may represent a successful evolutionary strategy," he says.

Mesa Community College student James Holloway has no problem attracting women, but he doesn't necessarily believe it's because he possesses the dark-triad traits.

Rather, he thinks women like his laid-back attitude and confidence. "I'm not as bad as you think, but I do have some of the qualities mentioned in the study. I like to keep my options open and try new things and I enjoy the occasional thrill-seeking activity. Sometimes I throw caution out the window and sometimes I find it hard not to act on impulses. I do have that 'who gives a fuck' attitude and I think it's good to have," Holloway says. "Does this mean I'm a bad boy? I don't know. All I know is I'm a one way train - girls can either get on and enjoy the ride or get off - but they aren't going to derail me."

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