By ANDREA LAYCOCK
Andrea@newsroom.byu.edu
BYU men who brag and BYU women who play hard to get have often mystified members of the opposite sex; however, a study conducted by David Buss from the University of Michigan has given greater insight into these actions.
Buss studied the tactics males and females use to attract members of the opposite sex. More specifically, when two males or two females are competing for a mate, what do they do to beat out the competition?
'There are so many more girls than boys here at BYU that it sometimes seems like a competition to get boys,' said Shalee Dubravac, a junior from Alexandria, Va., majoring in English teaching.
BYU's student body isn't drastically outnumbered by females; the ration being 53 percent female and 47 percent male.
In his study, Buss found the main tactic among males for attracting a mate is displaying and boasting about their resources. Buss said this is the reason many men will spend hours explaining to girls their new electronic equipment, how much money they make at their new job or their career plan for the next 10 years.
'I once went out with this guy who talked about his new car, CD collection and fancy apartment the entire time. It drove me crazy,' said Jamie Orgill, a senior from Huntington Beach, Calif., majoring in accounting.
'If I had a nice car I would probably use it to impress girls,' said Tony Gibbs, a junior from Bettendorf, Iowa, majoring in mechanical engineering.
Females, according to Buss' study, also have competition tactics.
Buss' study revealed that playing hard to get is the main tactic used by girls to compete for boys. By acting uninterested, even if they really are interested, they are sending signals of 'high desirability and reproductive value.'
'I don't like it when girls play hard to get. I think they should stop playing games and let me know they're interested,' said Brian King, a junior from Salt Lake City, majoring in environmental biology.
'If girls are doing it right, guys won't even know that girls are playing hard to get, and they'll like it. They need a challenge to keep their attention,' said Sarah Palmer a sophomore from Las Vegas, majoring in health education.
'Playing hard to get is the last thing you want to do,' said Brent Barlow, a professor in the marriage, family and human development department, who believes this method of attraction to be detrimental.
Buss said competition for the perfect mate is not a new phenomenon, nor is it only found at BYU. According to Buss, it is a staple of Darwin's theory of natural selection, discovered in 1859. Darwin's theory of mate selection suggests that individuals compete with members of their own sex for reproductively relevant resources held by members of the opposite sex.