Oh, Great: Study Suggests That Men Feel Threatened by Smart Women

Jihan Forbes
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We know at least one fellow who isn’t intimidated by a smart, accomplished woman. We need more George Clooneys in the world! Photo: Getty

Dating is hard for pretty much everyone, but if you’re a woman who happens to be smart, it might be a little trickier. According to MarketWatch, a study set to be published in the November edition of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin says that #masculinitysofragile, some men see intelligent women as threatening to their manhood.

While the 105 male subjects in the study seemed open and enthusiastic at the thought of hypothetically dating a woman smarter than they were, researchers found once they were told they actually had to meet a sharp woman, things changed. The men “distanced themselves more from her, tended to rate her as less attractive, and showed less desire to exchange contact information or plan a date with her.” The study notes that “feelings of diminished masculinity accounted for men’s decreased attraction toward women who outperformed them in the live interaction context.” Lame.

Of course, there are many reasons why some men wimp out once they actually have to interact with an intelligent woman, one being the fear of being rejected by that smart woman. But still, if it takes a less intelligent woman to make a man feel more masculine, that says more about how silly and outdated the notion of masculinity is than the woman’s actual desirability. We fail to understand why a woman’s intelligence should have any bearing on how manly a guy feels. Shouldn’t he be secure enough in himself to appreciate a gal who can challenge him intellectually?

Of course, we know that not all men are turned off by smart women – in fact, some actively seek them out (we’re looking at you, George Clooney.) But it is quite sad to hear that some men feel so insecure that they rely on the weaknesses of some women in order to feel like full human beings.

But who would want a guy like that anyway?

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