Beauty & The Beast: This is why beautiful women fall for ugly men

Most of us saw Beauty and the Beast when we were younger (or even yesterday, we won’t judge!). It was a nice story that hinged on the really beautiful heroine falling for the beast (literally) and breaking the curse.

While in a fairy tale that is plausible, there are instances in real life you may see a beautiful woman walking hand in hand with an ugly man and wonder how they even found each other. Maybe you’ve thought that she’s way out of his league and wondered what it is he could have done to be with someone so gorgeous.

 Everywhere you look, from movies to books to advertisements to popular culture, women are pushed towards the tall, dark and handsome archetype, which is regarded the world over as the male standard of beauty. While the other qualities may differ, women are generally drawn to handsome men, or are they?

Well, the answer is simple: Ugly men make women happy. At least according to science. A recent study conducted at the State University of Florida, US, on 113 newly married couples revealed that women with ugly men were happier compared to the ones with handsome ones. The study was conducted by Andrea Meltzer, a professor of psychology, and Tania Reynolds, a doctoral student. 

They interviewed the women, most of whom didn’t exceed 25 years of age, and asked them about their personal interests regarding fitness and dieting. All the men and women were also ranked from 1-10 according to their attractiveness with the help of other universities.

The study showed that women who were with men classified as handsome were constantly worrying about their weight and whether or not they measured up to their partner. They were terrified that their partners would leave them if they didn’t maintain the same level of attractiveness. (Read also This is why it’s dangerous to be the side chick)

This was especially true of women who had a low opinion of themselves and this worry made them unhappy a lot of the time. However, women with men classified as ugly didn’t feel this pressure to live up to certain standards and were happier as a result.

Apart from happiness, there are other reasons why pretty women are attracted to ugly men. One of them is that ugly men generally treat them like queens whereas more attractive men might take them for granted as the relationship progresses. Ugly men can also be very funny, and as Marilyn Monroe once said,”if you can make a girl laugh, she’ll do anything.”

Beauty is also highly subjective and one woman’s ugly may be another woman’s gorgeous. When looking at what makes someone beautiful, most women don’t just restrict it to physical looks. They also consider a person’s character, how they think, strength, compassion, how they connect emotionally and other attributes that are not so obvious to the eye. This means that they are not so quick to dismiss anyone before they know them a bit more.

 Regardless of studies done, or other people’s standards of beauty, what should matter at the end of the day is being with someone who makes you happy. After all, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.