This touching image for many women can become a marker of «their» person. Or, at any rate, a trustworthy man. Is it really? Psychology professor Stanley Coren, a great expert on human-dog relationships, explains why having a pet makes a man more attractive.
“So now my son Anthony volunteered to walk our dog Freddie because he thought having a dog made him sexier. He claims that thanks to Freddie, he has already been on two successful dates. Do you, as a psychologist, agree that this increases his chances?
The neighbor I was chatting with has a friendly fawn Labrador named Freddie. And Anthony’s son is in his early twenties. This is a tall, slender young man who pretends to be a playboy. He dresses in leather jackets and shiny shirts and behaves rather cheekily. My intuition told me that Anthony’s idea of a successful date didn’t extend beyond a one-night stand.
As several studies show at once, having a dog can actually increase the attractiveness of some men in the eyes of women — especially guys like Anthony. A young man walking a cute dog seems especially romantic, caring and interested in long-term relationships to women. In other words, a man who theoretically could become a good partner, husband and father.
When a woman is looking for a short-term relationship, she is more likely to be attracted to these «bad guys»
He is definitely different from the conquering male type, dominant and seductive, and somewhat dangerous, who is more interested in casual sexual encounters than in long-term affection. The concepts of «impudent» and «shameless» refer to this rather than «dad».
Generally speaking, studies show that when a woman is looking for a short-term relationship, she is more likely to be attracted to these «bad guys.» And on men like «father» her choice falls in the case of a search for a long-term partner. And here’s the new data: if a man has a companion dog, then a woman’s impression of him may change.
A group of Israeli psychologists led by psychology professor Sigal Tiferet of the Rupin Academic Center has established how a dog can influence women’s perceptions of men. In this study, women were presented with literary portraits of various men, some portrayed as typical caring fathers, and others as «sassy» and rude macho. The participants rated each character’s attractiveness and how much they would like to marry or have an affair with them.
And when these same characters were described to women with only one detail changed — as owners of dogs — the participants corrected their assessment. The presence of the dog did nothing to change their impression of men with father qualities. But the attractiveness of the «bad guys» increased dramatically. In fact, women found them even more attractive than dads with dogs.
Four-legged pet allows a man who is in the mood for fleeting connections to change his image to attract women
The researchers speculate that the reason sassy people benefit from the presence of a dog is that in the eyes of those around them, they appear to be the owners of that dog. This means that if we continue the chain of associations, we are ready to take on long-term obligations, including caring for another living being and investing time and resources in its well-being.
It is likely that this compensates for the negative perception of the «impudent». It turns out that this is a person who is characterized by seductive behavior and the pressure of the «alpha male», and in addition to that — the ability to show care and form a long-term attachment. The perfect combination!
Unfortunately, these findings also mean that some may deliberately use the «master with the dog» imagery as a mate attraction strategy. Which, apparently, Anthony decided to do. A four-legged pet allows a man who is in the mood for fleeting connections to change his image in order to attract women who are not interested in short-term relationships.
Men with the doting father pattern don’t seem to benefit from walking the dog (their commitment to long-term relationships is obvious). However, they too can get extra bonuses from walking their pet, as other studies show that having a dog makes it easier to strike up conversations with new people they meet along the way.
About the Author: Stanley Coren is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at the University of British Columbia at Vancouver. A special topic of his research interests is the behavior and intelligence of dogs.