Repellent Beauty

[archerships]

My friend Carol is nice and beautiful. Anyone would bet she has plenty of dates. But it turns out that this is not the case.

The fact is that Carol has dated no-one for ages. And although she is shy by nature, she is also open to adequate proposals and would love to find someone special. But Carol claims that men do not usually approach her. She thinks she frightens them away. Is it just a matter of bad luck? Or is it something else? Maybe Carol has a distorted perception of reality?

Luck is an issue that’s naturally addressed in mathematics. If it is a question of luck, mathematics may shed some light on Carol’s problem. Let us see.
….
Carol’s perception that she scares men away is not a delusion after all. According to the mathematics above, she may be justified in thinking that guys stay away from her. It is not a matter of bad luck but a collateral effect of interactive rationality. A paradoxical consequence is that Carol’s attractiveness acts as a repellent.

From the article, The Carol Syndrome.

Original: craschworks - comments

Comments

[istar.livejournal.com]

I think a group of Carols need to get in touch with each other, and take a field trip to a PUA conference.

[crasch.livejournal.com]

Hahaha. That would be fun to watch.

Although I wonder when such women complain of not being chatted up, it's not because they're not being chatted up, but rather, they're not being chatted up by men they perceive to be in their "league".

[istar.livejournal.com]

And men want to be in the league of women who were previously out of their league, right?

[crasch.livejournal.com]

I think what men want depends on a variety of factors: age, looks, maturity level, status, wealth, intelligence, interests, introvertedness, among other things. As a rule, for long-term relationships, I think that people try to find mates that roughly match what they bring to the relationship.

[selfishgene.livejournal.com]

Exactly. I call bullshit on this meme. Unless she is a shut-in, men will approach (if she is actually hot).

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

Being chatted up at a bar lends itself to THAT phenom. I think I only once had an interesting conversation with a stranger at a bar. Too bad he sucked in bed.

Parties are a lot better for meeting people.

[phanatic.livejournal.com]

This thread is useless without a picture of Carol.

[new-iconoclast.livejournal.com]

+1

[pacotelic.livejournal.com]

This is the reverse of the Nash epiphany.

[ersigh.livejournal.com]

*insert somewhat irrelevant grumbling*

[radiantsun.livejournal.com]

It could also be that she's not signaling that she's actually attainable.

[herbaliser.livejournal.com]

Seriously. Is she smiling and having a good time, or is she reading a book/typing on a laptop?

[new-iconoclast.livejournal.com]

I read the article. Mathematics and probability analysis aside, I concluded that he probably just doesn't have the balls to ask her.