"Women seem wicked, when you're unwanted." -- Jim Morrison.
A study in a Florida university took place a number of years ago to measure the sexual morality in a collegiate atmosphere.
A group of attractive males and females agreed to participate in the study by approaching students of the opposite sex on their way to class and asking them one of three questions:
"Will you go out on a date with me?"
"Will you go back to my apartment with me?"
"Will you have sex with me?"
When asked to go out on a date, 50 percent of the women and men said yes. When asked to accompany the stranger back to his/her apartment, six percent of the women said yes, while 69 percent of the men said yes. And last, but not least, when asked to have sex, none of the women said yes, while 75 percent of the men did.
This is one of the many examples of gender differences cited by Dr. David Buss during his seminar on "Strategies to Mating: the Evolution of Desire" (although he made it clear that this was not a study that he had performed).
Dr. Buss captured the audiences' attention within a matter of minutes and didn't let go until the end of his presentation. He was very comical and light-hearted, which made his audience comfortable and interested in a topic that seems to linger in the deepest, darkest places of their hearts.
"Dr. Buss's talk was extremely interesting. I learned a lot about the basic differences between men and women on their views of mating," said psychology freshman Eric Speese. "I thought Dr. Buss did great job of keeping his talk on a basic level so that everybody in attendance, freshmen and graduate students alike, could understand the information Dr. Buss was lecturing on. I found myself giving him my undivided attention."
Dr. Buss, of the University of Michigan, already has written what was considered by the New York Times book review to be one of the best books of 1994, "The Evolution of Desire." His studies take him around the world into exotic places to study the differences between men and women in short- and long-term relationships.
Some of the things he had to say about the "War of Sexes" hold true not only for the United States, but the whole world.
One of his worldwide studies points out some peculiar traits that appear consistently throughout the world. Men base their selection of a long-term mate more on physical attractiveness and age as opposed to women, who play more for the older mates with occupational status. But that's not the most unusual thing. In short term relationships, men and women both have one common goal -- sexual gratification.
Alas, Buss did not end his seminar without some hope given to all the romantics out there. Love still exists. Although he wasn't as knowledgeable in the department of love, he assured his audience that it did indeed still exist. Perhaps in this day and age, sex is just a little more interesting.