Why Women Like The “Bad Boy”

There is something to the Andrew Tate phenomenon. He is this cigar-smoking, Bugatti-driving, kickboxing world champion who sparks controversy and speaks out against authority. People are drawn to this for a reason. It seems as though this “bad boy” caricature is attractive to both men and women for different reasons.

Research in female mate selection suggests that females are drawn to what is referred to as ‘Dark Triad’ personality traits. The Dark Triad is a personality model encompassing features like Narcissism, Psychopathy and Machiavellianism.

According to a study on sexual selection from the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences from the University of Durham in the United Kingdom, Dark Triad high men are risk-taking, charming and hard-headed — all traits that women in the study deemed attractive in men.

Men who score high in dark triad traits are usually disagreeable, self-aggrandising and charismatic. Because of these confident, self-aggrandising character traits in Dark Triad high men, they have an increased ability to ‘sell themselves’ when attracting short-term mates. Dark Triad high men are likelier to use manipulative and persuasive tactics to get ahead.

Other research into female attraction suggests that the most attractive traits females find in men are ambition and intelligence — the two most significant predictors of competence and lifetime success. Perhaps, it's that women are drawn to men who possess these dark triad traits because the “bad boy” is so confident, charming and good at self-promotion. He projects an image of competence, which females sometimes confuse for legitimate competence.

reference -
doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.08.021