THEY are the cads in the cravats, the bad boys in black leather who woo women while the nice guy is still straightening his tie.
The sex appeal of the “bastard”, the men women hate to love but do so anyway, has been scrutinised by scientists, who reveal that even the worst antisocial behaviour can be camouflaged by the experienced flirt.
The subject has been discussed in the glossy pages of the likes of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, but has now been dissected in the New Scientist magazine, which reveals that the success of cads such as Terry Thomas and the lecherous Sid James can be put down to confident sexuality.
A new study has revealed that men who appeared the most flirtatious were rated as more attractive even if they were antisocial. This might explain the success of Jack Nicholson, the actor and serial seducer who when asked “Wanna dance?” by a young Minnie Driver replied: “Wrong verb.”
But there is a limit, according to the study, as it only works for women looking for a fling. Those looking for a longer-term relationship placed more importance on the men’s behaviour, it found. Dr Andy Clark, a psychologist at Bristol University who conducted the study with other experts, said: “Antisocial men can make up a lot of ground just by being flirtatious.”
The researchers decided most images used to gauge attractiveness were static, while people interact on meeting. They therefore decided to look at facial movements as a source of information about potential mates.
The team filmed 28 men as they talked, removed the soundtrack and made animations of each face, as well as standardising the shape.
The animations were randomly paired with a written, pro-social statement such as “I really enjoy helping old people” or antisocial ones such as “old people bore me”. Women were then asked to rate their attractiveness in the context of a fling or a long-term relationship.
In general, they were found to prefer the men who made pro-social comments. For those more interested in a fling, however, the men who appeared most flirtatious were rated as more attractive. This was the case even if they were paired with an antisocial statement. Dr Clark said a flirtatious man shows vigour and social confidence, both of which suggest he may have good genes. It might also show they were more interested in sex, he said, and this is one reason why women who want a short-term relationship might pay more attention to flirting.
He said: “I don’t think women like bastards. I think antisocial men who behave flirtatiously are either fooling women into thinking they are not so bad, or they’re actually demonstrating that they are not so bad.”
This, however, was contradicted by Tigress Luv, author of Why Women Love Bastards, who yesterday said: “It’s not the ‘bastard’, but the character of such. Women feel more safe and more feminine around him. The more she feels like a ‘woman’ when she is around him, the more attracted she is to him.
“The ‘bastard’ in my book is not really a bastard. And it has nothing to do with ‘bad boys’ or ‘confidence’. He is just in touch with his real manhood - something men have lost touch with in today’s society.” WHO’S WHO IN LOTHARIO LAND
Jack Nicholson: Despite turning 70, he has been notorious for his inability to “settle down” and has secured a place in Maxim magazine’s “Top 10 Living Legends of Sex”. He has allegedly slept with 2,000 women. He has five children by four different women, but was married only once. A literary fellow, when asked to dance by actress Minnie Driver, he replied: “Wrong verb.”
Calum Best: Perhaps the most successful “cad” of today. Mr Best, in spite of a rapidly receding hairline, is threatening to top his late father’s conquests after whittling his bedpost to kindling with notches recording visits from the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Rebecca Loos and Caprice.
Sid James: The comic actor often portrayed lecherous oafs in the Carry On films - hardly a stretch for a man whose love of seducing women was second only to his passion for gambling. His obsession with Barbara Windsor led to him returning home to find that her husband of the time, Ronnie Knight, had put an axe in his floor.
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