Actions, Not Words (Sex & The Sellsius Edition)

According to Joe Ferrara of Sellsius, charity makes you hot:

In three studies involving more than 1,000 people, Dr. Tim Phillips and his research team from the University of Nottingham found that women place significantly greater importance on altruistic traits than anything else (in all three studies). The findings were published in the British Journal of Psychology. And the results may not only apply to women. When questioning couples, there was a correlation indicating both sexes may consider altruistic traits when choosing a mate. [Emphasis mine]

The trouble with this study is that it listened to what the women said, instead of observing what the women did. So according to Dr. Phillips, women place greater importance on altruism than anything else, eh?

How many of these women dated lepers who happened to be really, really altruistic?

How about dirt-poor homeless shelter workers?

Did these women place altruism above intelligence, looks, ambition, personality, humor, and success?

Sorry, Dr. Phillips — you’ve made a critical error by assuming that what people tell random strangers is the same thing as what they would actually do.

Because here’s a true humanitarian: Dr. Rick Hodes

He’s a doctor; he’s Jewish; he’s charitable. And he’s single:

Hodes’ kids unfailingly lobby guests to help find a wife for him. He dates when he can during visits to Israel and New York, but it’s not easy finding a woman willing to marry this most unorthodox single father.

You don’t say! 🙂

In the meantime, here’s a man who is definitely nobody’s idea of charitable:

He, at the age of 62, has been married three times to women who look like this:

So.

The lesson appears to be that (a) never trust what people say without looking at what they actually do; and (b) to attract women, ’tis better to be rich and hated, than to be poor and admired.

-rsh