The Science Behind Why Wingman Can Help You Date
If sitcoms have taught us anything (other than how to make terrible life choices), it’s that a follower can help when you’re trying to date. This video explains how this strategy actually works for men and women.
As it turns out, humans are not the only species using the follower strategy. As seen in the video, turkeys, fireflies, and even spear-tailed manakin use a form of strategy in which a group works together to find a human mate. Sorry, Tom Cruise, but you didn’t invent it.
So why does this help? First, people tend to look more attractive in a group. Communicating with others demonstrates camaraderie, which is a healthy trait for social beings like us. For men, having a follower by default not only helps you look your best, but your boyfriend can also support you as an alpha or more attractive option. Not to be confused with the filthy alpha male bullshit that many questionable self-help books are trying to promote. This scenario simply allows one person to take the driver’s seat while the other operates the shotgun. In this metaphor, driving is sexy. As an added benefit, the video also indicates that the follower also often ends up learning from the alpha, which helps them find a date better in the long run. It’s a win-win!
Women can also use a follower strategy, however, as the video shows, this often means using your partners to help reject potential partners. It’s no secret that women find it difficult to abandon dating partners (to put it mildly, to put it mildly). As you can see in the video above, the follower can help make sure the less desirable guys stay away.
The video also notes that, unfortunately, most of the research on this strategy has focused on heterosexual couples, and dating humans is a little more difficult than turkeys or fireflies. None of this should mean that you have to use one particular strategy. Women can harass men with this strategy, and men can use their partners to reject unwanted advances if necessary. However, this is still a fascinating look at how this strategy works.
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