Relationship Advice for Men - Why Women Marry the Men They Do

In terms of attracting the right mate, the smartest bit of relationship advice for men is to stop thinking about what women claim they want and observe what their behavior shows you.

How do women show you what they want? For the answer, look at the kind of men most women choose as mates.

For instance, there's the woman who claims, "I want a guy who is tall, dark and handsome" and then marries a guy who is short and bald with money. Or another favorite, "I want a guy with a great sense of humor" and then marries a guy who is controlling.

Or there's the guy who is puzzled by a woman who breaks up with him to go out with a guy who seems all-around less attractive. This guy says "I want my ex girlfriend back", but isn't sure how to go about it because he's not sure what went wrong.

Why is it that women say they want one thing, but go out with and marry guys with very different qualities? The answer can be found in evolution and the unconscious motivations that drive attraction between men and women. Herein lies some interesting relationship advice for men.

Remember that unconsciously men and women are programmed to continue the species. Women in particular are driven by this because they have a biological clock and a window of opportunity in which to have a child. A man can produce sperm from puberty to well into his nineties, but a women only has about 400 or so chances to have a child.

Relationships advice for men: Subconsciously, women are programmed to look for a good husband to raise children with.

Even though a woman may not even be thinking about getting pregnant when deciding whom to date, subconsciously, she is still looking for a good man with whom to propagate the species and raise children.

With this in mind, a good dad may not necessarily be someone who is tall, dark and handsome or someone with a great sense of humor, but a man who will be a good provider.

Since traditionally men brought home the bacon, while women raised children, this is still part of our subconscious programming and may explain why a woman passes on the artist/dreamer and heads straight for the achiever.

Another sign of achievement is generosity. A man who is confident in his ability to earn more money will be generous with his earnings. This is one reason jewelry is valued by women because subconsciously this extravagance shows that the man will be generous with his money and appreciate those he loves. This why engagement rings are typically a big purchase because they are tangible proof that the man will be an excellent provider.

Relationship Advice for Men: Woman may subconsciously believe that strong men make better providers.

Even though today, the majority of men make money from their brains rather than physical prowess, women may still subconsciously believe that strong men make better providers. This is why in some cases, even if one man makes a lot more money than another, a woman may choose a construction worker over a computer programmer.

So if you're having trouble attracting women in your life, you might try working on yourself in terms of your physical strength and your ability to earn a good living. While this will benefit the woman you settle down with, it will also improve your sense of confidence and quality of life.

So there you have it. One interesting novel bit of relationship advice for men is to look at attraction and mating from an evolutionary standpoint for a better idea of what women want.

More interesting advice on love, marriage and getting back your ex.