Money, looks, and status are things that women look for in choosing a mate, but they are not the only things they look for. This series looks to explore the other characteristics that women desire which are often overlooked.

According to David Buss, "evolution has favored women who prefer men who possess attributes that confer benefits and who dislike men who possess attributes that impose costs". Many of the overlooked traits revolve around the "costs" that men with negative traits impose on their mates.

One of these overlooked traits is Dependability.

"Women place a premium on dependability and emotional stability to avoid incurring these costs and to reap the benefits that a mate can provide to them consistently over time. In ancestral times, women who chose stable, dependable men had a greater likelihood of ensuring the man’s ability to acquire and maintain resources for use by them and their children" - David Buss

"These characteristics may possess such a great value worldwide because they are reliable signals that resources will be provided consistently over time. Undependable people, in contrast, provide erratically and inflict heavy costs on their mates" - David Buss

If you're a man struggling with dating, look beyond "money, looks, and status". You may not have the most resources, but you can show that you are dependable and for many women a dependable man with fewer resources can be more appealing than a wealthier man that is not dependable who will come with negative costs that the woman would have to bear.

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