Mate Poaching: Single Girls Are More Interested In Taken Men

Some men skip from relationship to relationship, never once staying single, because they always have a girl waiting in the wings. We tend to hate these guys, but it might be our fault they exist. Social psychologists at Oklahoma State University published a report in the current issue of Journal of Experimental Social Psychology on “mate poaching.” Participants in their study were shown the same picture of a moderately attractive male or female, depending on their gender, and some were told the person was in a relationship. Then, participants indicated how interested they’d be in pursuing a relationship with the person in the photo.

The study found that single women were more interested in the guy when they were told he was already in a relationship. In fact, 90 percent of the women were interested in him when told he was taken, compared to 59 percent when told he was single. Men didn’t show any preference for the women as related to their relationship status, and neither did women in relationships.

“This finding indicates that single women are considerably more interested in pursuing a man who is less available to them,” reports Dr. Melissa Burkley. “This may be because a man who is attached has already shown his ability to commit and, in a sense, has been pre-screened by another woman.”  Unconsciously, we’re screwing ourselves. By finding guys who are able to commit more appealing, we’re overlooking the ones who are available. Brains are useless when it comes to matters of the heart.

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