Men only: Reasons why men dread dating smart women

Many discussions about relationships these days inevitably lead to a debate of why so many intelligent, successful women stay single.

It always seems, the more a lady prospers, the more men shy away from her.

Multiple studies show that men are less attracted to intelligent women because the comparison with their own intelligence damages their egos.

While many men in theory argue that they’d love an intelligent lady, few actually date them.

Lora Park, a social psychologist at the University of Buffalo, New York, and her colleagues Ariana Young and Paul Eastwick studied how men react to smart women and noted a pattern: Men only like such women at a distance.

When they finally get them, most men find these ladies less attractive, both physically and emotionally.

The study pointed out that men may actually feel a woman is a threat to their masculinity when she’s smart and intelligent.

“Most successful women have the ‘I know it all’ syndrome lurking around their minds. They are the type that can fix car breakdowns, or the one that took a woodwork course and can do all repairs in the house, the plumbers who can fix their sewer system issues or the one who insists on paying hotel bills while out on a date,” said a man who sought anonymity.

Smart women also usually make and earn more than their partners. This can leave the man feeling inferior and of little value at home since the woman can provide for herself.

Some men also are afraid of such women because they might lack personality.

“I dated an accomplished woman but we could not have a meaningful conversation, as she always lapsed into academic talk. Even my friends started avoiding me. Can you believe she introduced herself as a graduate from a certain university each time we met new people. It only lasted for three months,” confessed another guy.

Others avoid them because they know they might have busy schedules and therefore fail to balance work and relationships.