There was a recent study that investigated why the "bad boy" is attractive. Biologically, it should be the opposite...women should be attracted to stability, conformity, loyalty, and safety, things that would ensure that their mate would be around long enough to provide for the kids. But it's patently not so...listen to a "nice guy" bemoan his social wasteland some time.

Anyhow, this study hypothesized that the reason people are attracted to people that drink, smoke and drive too fast is that this behavior is proof of hardihood. If you can abuse yourself in a lot of ways and still stay viable (and attractive: the herion-addict-no-teeth-or-hair look is RIGHT out) it's proof that you must be a pretty healthy, genetically sound individual. Those genes are the kinds of things we're looking for in a mate at an instinctive level, so, taa-daa...it's the bad boy/bad girl syndrome!

So when I smoke, I'm not giving myself lung cancer...I'm attempting to prove my suitability to a prospective mate!

:-)

Katie

-- katie mccaffery (katiemac3@hotmail.com), October 19, 1999