Applying game theory to dating

A friend sent me this CNN article on two mathematicians modelling the art of dating as a sequential game.

Scientists map the way to a woman's heart
By Rebecca Johnson for CNN
Tuesday, August 2, 2005 Posted: 1100 GMT (1900 HKT)

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Men who invest in wining, dining and romancing their dates are employing the best tactic in the dating game, according to new research.

Diamonds may be "a girl's best friend," but if a man wants to win the heart of a woman, the best gift he can give her is one that is intrinsically worthless.

These are the findings of mathematicians Peter Sozou and Robert Seymour who used statistical game theory to model what some find the most tricky game of all: Dating.

The study revealed that by taking a woman on extravagant dates instead of showering her with gifts, men not only impress their prospective partner but root out genuine partners from gold-diggers.

After Sozou read an article about a man who had been paying his girlfriend's rent for years only to be jilted for another man, the mathematicians decided to apply their theories to courtship rituals.

"We wanted to find out what kind of gift a man should be giving a woman in order to cement a long term relationship," Seymour explains.

The rules of the game were as follows. Each man could offer a woman a gift. The gifts fell into three categories: Valuable, extravagant or cheap.

The women then had to consider whether to date the man based on the gift he offered and on how attractive she found him.

Seymour says that although the results were surprising in the sense that women preferred extravagance over material goods, one biological principal remained.

"It is widely accepted that men should pay a cost for a gift. The standard example in nature of this is peacocks. The male attracts the female with his magnificent tail. This is costly as the colorful show makes him more vulnerable to predators but it shows his quality to the female. Male humans use other kind of displays."

"Of course it's all very sexist," he admits. "In the modern world it doesn't work like that as there are other social variables."

However, he insists: "There are still enough biological instincts that the study reflects reality ... fundamentally women look for economic resources to help bring up children while men are looking for an attractive partner to make a good mother."

Critics say it seems unfair in an age where women often earn as much as men, that the study was not more balanced.

Social Psychologist Dr. Petra Boynton says: "Gender roles are changing. Couples are much more likely to share the cost of dates now.

"Of course some women love being paid for but others feel insulted when they earn just as much. Guys with low incomes often feel very uncomfortable being expected to pay for dates that they know they can't afford. These guys are not in any way biologically inappropriate. They're real men."

Although money can't buy love, it certainly comes in handy when the bill arrives after a meal in an exclusive restaurant.

Some might argue it's a small price to pay in order to find the ideal partner. Perhaps if she really is nice she will offer to go halves.

For a more academic discussion of this study, read the article from the Education section of The Guardian.