http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/ ... Brown.html
"The Dark Triad: The science of why women like Rihanna dig bad boys like Chris Brown
By Ted Thornhill and Fiona Macrae for the Daily Mail Updated: 11:16 GMT, 7 March 2012
It’s said so often that it’s a cliché – women love bad men. But it turns out that there is a science behind the notion.
During a discussion this week on America's NPR (formerly National Public Radio), human rights lawyer Arsalan Iftikhar expressed his surprise that singer Rihanna still reportedly likes Chris Brown, who he said ‘didn’t only hit Rihanna, he made her look like Buster Douglas'.
National Review writer Kevin D Williamson pointed out, however, that she may not be able to help it – because it’s in her genes to like men like Chris Brown.
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Writing in a blog following the show this week he cited several pieces of research that back up his view, including the much quoted ‘Dark Triad’ work of Professor Peter Jonason.
This combines the self-obsession of narcissism, the impulsive, thrill-seeking and callous behaviour of the psychopath and the deceitful and exploitative nature of Machiavellianism.
Unattractive as the combination might appear, women often equate it with masculinity - and the ability to father healthy children.
As a result, those looking for the thrill of an affair, or hoping to become pregnant, are drawn to 'bad boys'.
The men, in return, raise their chances of passing their genes on to the next generation.
Scientist Peter Jonason said James Bond is the perfect example of a ladykiller with a rather questionable personality.
'He's clearly disagreeable, very extroverted and likes trying new things - killing people, new women,' the researcher told New Scientist.
Mr Jonason, of New Mexico State University in the U.S., subjected 200 college students to personality tests designed to rank them for each of their dark triad traits.
They were also asked about their attitudes to sexual relationships and about their sex lives, including how many partners they had and whether they sought out flings.
Licensed to thrill: Scientists have revealed that women find it hard to resist callous, self-obsessed and deceitful men
The results showed that men who scored higher on the trio of traits tended to have more partners and more interest in short-term relationships.
A second U.S. study of 35,000 people in 57 countries also found a clear link between the dark triad traits in men and success with women.
Researcher Professor David Schmitt, of Bradley University in Illinois, said: 'It's universal across cultures for high dark triad scorers to be more active in short-term mating. They are more likely to try and poach other people's partners for a brief affair.'
The researchers said that at their most extreme, the traits would be highly unattractive, leading to men being shut off from society.
But one possibility is that the strategy is most successful when dark triad personalities are rare.
Otherwise others would become more wary and guarded and the strategy would backfire.
In any case, nice guys need not lose all hope. Dr Gayle Brewer, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire, said that while women tend to like cads for flings, they usually settle down with more caring types."
