The psychology of women who love gay p

We titled the four studies "Why and When Straight Women Trust Gay Men: Ulterior Mating Motives and Female Competition," with the hope of better establishing why straight women trust gay men and when straight women would be most likely to seek out gay men for friendship and guidance.

For the most part, relationships between gay men and straight women are healthy and positive, with one exception I'll get to later. However, this is precisely the reasoning behind my approach. After all, straight women and gay men don't mate with one another.

Because gay men don't mate with women - or compete with them for mates - women feel a certain level of comfort with gay men, and the process of forming a close friendship can occur relatively quickly. “This is especially true of physically attractive women who are often wary of straight men wanting more than a platonic relationship with them.”.

The science behind why

About three years ago, I initially tested this theory in a series of experiments that have served as the foundation of my research program on gay-straight relationships. But with society's attitudes toward gays and lesbians changing, it's become all the more important to build a holistic understanding of the relationships between gay and straight people.

Although research has made progress in elucidating the benefits exchanged within same- and opposite-sex friendships formed between heterosexual men and women, it is less clear why straight women and gay men form close relationships with one another. Bookstelevision shows and feature length films have all highlighted this unique relationship, noted for its closeness and depth.

More attractive women allocated more dollars to gay male friends, and this outcome was mediated by their perception that gay men would value them beyond sex and could offer them valuable mating advice. In many ways, gay men and straight women are a perfect pairing.

For years, friendships between straight women and gay men have been a subject of pop culture fascination. In other words, because gay men are attracted to their own gender, they're a "safe bet" for women - at least, from a sociobiological standpoint.

In other words, because gay men are attracted to their own gender, they’re a “safe bet” for women – at least, from a sociobiological standpoint. A safe bet At first glance, this explanation may seem quite counterintuitive. About three years ago, I initially tested this theory in a series of experiments that have served as the foundation of my research program on gay-straight relationships.

In these experiments, straight female participants were shown fictitious Facebook profiles depicting either a straight woman, straight man or gay man. In other words, when it came to dating-related matters, there was an almost instantaneous level of implicit trust.

Why are straight women so drawn to having gay men as friends? And when do these relationships typically form? Specifically, I believe evolutionary psychology and human mating can help explain why relationships between straight women and gay men tend to flourish.

The experiments, published in the journal Evolutionary Psychologydemonstrated that straight women and gay men perceived one another to be trustworthy sources of relationship and dating advice. The trailer for 'G. As a researcher in social psychology, I've often wondered: why do straight female-gay male relationships work so well?

Why Do Women Prefer

Gay Best Friend ,' a teen comedy film. I also recruited gay male participants, and had them complete the same task with the gay men viewing Facebook profiles depicting a straight female, gay male or lesbian female. Eric RussellUniversity of Texas Arlington.

During the course of my research, I've discovered that the most interesting, compelling - and, arguably, most theoretically coherent - explanation is through the lens of evolution. With heterosexual men who, by definition, are sexually attracted to womenthe process is longer - and potentially more fraught - because men may be grappling with their own sexual impulses.

The female participants were then asked how likely they would be to trust the individual's dating advice. Cracking the why and when Recently, my colleagues and I at the University of Texas at Arlington developed a series of four related studies. “Women can engage more openly and intimately with [gay men] because they do not have to worry about the men having an ulterior sexual motive,” says Russell.