Women hot for men in hot cars

You could call it a hot flash. Texas researchers may be proving the obvious: hot chicks dig dudes in hot cars. But not for the reasons you think, or not for the purpose you think.

It seems that men who wear expensive clothes, drive expensive cars, and have other habits of conspicuous consumption are able to have more short term flings and stay single longer. Researchers at the University of Texas at San Antonio found that the phenomenon is less about the stereotypical gold-digger woman and more about the encoded messages being sent by the man and received by the woman.

Splashy spending says “short term” to a woman and she knows it. Dr. Jill Sundie of the University of Texas compared it to a peacock trying to attract a mate using “wasteful, elaborate displays. Basically, they’re just trying to convince a female that, “Hey, if all you’re looking for is genes, I have the best genes, so you should choose me,”” Sundie said.

Women do respond. Unless they are looking for a long term relationship including marriage. “Women seem to understand that when they see a man who has chosen to spend money conspicuously, they think he would be more interesting as a date,” Sundie explained. “If you ask them to thin of these men instead as a long term partner, how good is this guy as a marriage partner, the flashy spending doesn’t help him at all,” she said.

Not all guys are looking for a fling, and not the women will expect a one nighter. However, the study showed that the signals were clear, even if the intention was not.

Source: UTSA, Reuters