Psychology researchers have come up with creative ways of delving into human relationships. The processes underlying attraction, commitment and many other behaviors have been examined to try and understand complex human interactions.
While searching through different studies, I came across a few interesting findings that apply to relationships within our generation.
Our generation avoids commitment: You may be thinking, "Surprise, surprise. We know this already." Hang with me. A University of Missouri researcher has put a new name to modern-day relationships. He calls our generation's dating style "stayover relationships." Couples will stay over at one another's homes for several nights a week, but they know that the option of returning to their own place is available whenever they want. Staying over lessens the required commitment to a partner because it is easier to break up than it would be if the couple were living together with a shared lease. This especially applies to young adults who are planning to move in the next few years and have not yet formed a long-term plan with their partners. I have definitely witnessed this type of relationship, which seems to makes sense for many college-aged students. The researcher believes that "stayovers" are adding to the decreased marriage rate among young adults.
Some men behave like peacocks: A series of studies by faculty at Rice University, the University of Texas-San Antonio and the University of Minnesota found that men who were looking for a short-term, sexual relationship with women were prone to behave like male peacocks. Like male peacocks that use their colorful feathers to attract a mate, these men will use flashy, expensive products in order to attract women they want to date. Responses from the women in this study often showed that a man with a luxury product, such as a Porsche, was more desirable than a man with a less luxurious product, such as a Honda Civic. Yet, these women suggested that they knew what the "Porsche guys" were after, since they did not choose the flashy men as potential husbands. The "Honda guys" are the ones that women typically chose for the long haul. So, men: Be aware of what message you are sending to the ladies. Or, if you are still a student, unable to afford expensive things, keep this in mind for the future.
We are programmed to feel peer pressure: A researcher at the University of Southern California led a study to explain how peer pressure is hardwired into our brains. The study revealed that reward and social reasoning centers of the brain were activated more when a person won a prize while in a group than when a person won while he or she was alone. Winning in a group led a participant to make risky and competitive decisions in future tasks. This study suggests that we are willing to be more daring while in a group because we are programmed to want to look good in front of our peers. These results would explain why dangerous activities that seemingly make a person "look good", such as excessive drinking or aggressive behavior, occur more often in group settings.
I find that learning about our own behavior can be enlightening. We can learn about unconscious processes or trends that we are not aware of when acting them out in day-to-day life. Then, if we are not satisfied, we can try to change those behaviors. However, boys, if you are satisfied with flashing your feathers all over the place, nobody is going to stop you.
