Ever heard the term “crazy in love”? It’s a well-known fact that rational people magically do something out-of-character for them, once they’re in love. Being crazy? — Scientific studies show that a little delusion will help your love life in a big way.
According to Helen Fisher, an anthropology professor and human behavior researcher at the Rutgers University says, “Men and women are ‘designed to misconstrue, misread and misunderstand each other.’” Apparently, these delusions are what keep our love lives in balance; and here’s why:
- Men overestimate women’s interest in them – Ever have a guy friend call you up for your take on a situation between him and his girl? That he’s losing sleep over absolutely nothing? (False-negative errors) Well, there’s that — overanalysis. Why is it good? Usually men feel guilty when women give out a slight comment — and they try to make up for it in gifts! While that sounds manipulative, I do admit, us girls enjoy a little pampering every so often.
- Men assume all women are interested – When boys talk to us girls, they automatically assume that since they’re doing all the talking, the listeners are immediately captivated. They can’t be more wrong. It’s the listening that they should focus on! Girls can and will smile when talked to, but more often than not, it’s just us being polite, maybe interested 1/10ths of the time. Love comes and goes, but for guys? Maybe not today!
- Women assume all men are jerks – Since a woman feels a greater investment in reproduction, the tendency is to overestimate men’s interest in casual sex. (It’s a crazy delusion, but it’s true!) Maybe they just want to get in our pants? Who knows? The safest approach is being cautious. This creates false-positive errors, meaning that we don’t instantly throw our panties away when we meet someone new.
- Men and women lie to each other when interested – It’s the the nuttiest of all the listed delusions, if I might add — women’s lies tend to make them look more faithful, while men project wealth and stability, maybe for a long-term commitment. Do they balance each other out? This fact makes it seem like when it comes to love (or life, probably) men and women both want to have fun.
- Getting over trauma – An important bodily function is forgetting trauma. The body forgets trauma once it’s over — making people cope with the present. The tendency is men and women view their current love in the best of light, while everyone else who’s come before must’ve been suffering delusions.
