Less Attractive Men Make Better Mates?

Woohoo! Maybe I’m in luck, after all!

New study:

82 couples were rated independently by outsiders, rating their looks and evaluating their behavior and interactions.

When the wife was gauged to be more attractive than the husband, the relationship was also gauged to be more supportive.

On the other hand, when the husband was more attractive than the wife, the relationship was gauged to be less supportive.

However, there’s a semi-related article on MSNBC that I found confusing and not confusing — all at the same time — that tells us:

A new study confirms what women say they've known all along: Men, no matter how unattractive, think they’ve got a chance with a runway model.

Huh? Come again?

Oh. I guess they must be talking about other men, ’cuz I don’t think they’re talking about me!

men were less likely than women to think that their own lack of attractiveness — based both on a self assessment and the ratings of others — should stand in the way of a date with someone "hot."

Okay, again... Huh? Which men are they talking about?

I am well aware of my own level of attractiveness, such as it is. I'm not that scary looking, but I’m no model or pretty boy or metrosexual. And I’m loathe to approach someone who I think is out of my league.

The lead author of the study, Leonard Lee, an assistant professor at Columbia’s Graduate School of Business...

Oh. A college professor. No wonder he had to do a study to figure out that guys like attractive women.

...thinks these far-fetched movie and TV couples might explain why unfortunate-looking men tend to hold out such high hopes. But he wonders whether the unattractive guys eventually learn that their chances are slim regardless of what they see on screen.

Okay... so let me get this straight. His conclusion is that guys are clueless about just how ugly they are, and, they get this idea that it doesn’t matter... from TV and movies?

He may be giving the guys too much credit. Maybe they don’t actually learn it anywhere... maybe it’s just good, old-fashioned male cluelessness.

Granted, I’ve seen a handful of exceptions, but I need to be enlightened. Do a lot of guys have the opposite problem from me? Think they’re hot, when they’re not? Or know they’re not, but think it doesn’t matter? Seriously?

Your comments, please.

Please!