Who are women truly attracted to, moody or macho guys?

A recent survey has shown that women are more attracted to moody men than they are to smiling, happy men. The women surveyed registered a higher attraction for men displaying emotions of pride or even shame over men who were happy and laughing. But is this really true?

Says model Aanchal Kumar, “Women sometimes get subconsciously attracted to the way a man talks or carries himself. No matter what they feel rationally, some girls will always get attracted to the bad boys. While they may have an ideal for a man and talk about it to their friends, it’s true that some of them may find themselves being attracted to moody men.”

Adds Aanchal, “For me personally, I like a man of the world, someone whom I can have a conversation with. Plus the way that he treats me, with respect, is a vital factor in the relationship. When one goes deeper into the relationship, having similar values — such as respect for my family and respect for older people are what matter among other things.”

Businesswoman Zeba Kohli has an ambivalent attitude to the results of the survey. “My general opinion is that young people ought to engage in positivity in order to see beneficial results in their relationships. If one is a positive person, then one will attract positive people into one’s life. Those kinds of relationships will make you happy.” Zeba says that her husband Rajesh is not the moody type. “I was attracted to him because he’s a workaholic and that’s what I am too. More than anything else, I enjoy an intellectual discussion with a man, because that’s what I find truly energising and exciting.”

However, psychotherapist Seema Hingorrany agrees that sometimes women find bad boys more thrilling. “Women who like challenges in their lives find bad boys more thrilling. They feel that this is what being a man is all about. I remember there was a client who once told me that she was most attracted to men who smoke a lot. Considering that smoking is a bad habit, I was left wondering…”
For women who are attracted to the macho sort of men, the other sort of ‘yes’ man may seem boring or like too much of a pushover, feels Seema. She says, “They may feel more protected in the company of a macho man. On the other hand they may also feel that the ‘yes’ man is too effeminate for their tastes or not enough of a challenge.”

The psychotherapist feels that a woman’s attraction to a man to has a lot to do with the conditioning during her early life. “What her parents have told her about the desirable qualities in a man makes a lot of difference to the way she perceive men and to whom she is finally attracted.” The counselor also opines that peer group pressure among girls and women as to a man’s desirability also affects the outcome of a girl’s choice of partner.