Student dating: “Do I make you horny, baby?”

Turn-ons and turn-offs for Warwick students – Lucy Skoulding on the results of the LIFESTYLE survey.

Today there seems to be so much importance attached to the idea of finding your perfect match or ‘soul mate’. This is only heightened by the ideals society exposes us to; young girls watch Disney films, planting the idea in their minds that they will someday be swept off their feet by a handsome prince and live happily ever after. This concept is only reinforced later in life, with the classic rom-com storyline in which the beautiful woman meets the tall, handsome stranger and they fall in love.

With this in mind, we decided to explore the reality of how a relationship starts. We asked the students of Warwick what they look for in a potential partner – what they consider a must-have and what they would inherently avoid – and in some cases, the results were surprising…

Of the 49 people who took the survey, 22.45 percent admitted that they would not date anyone less attractive than them, although, mostly, unattractive was defined as having bad personal hygiene, with one person commenting that “having an initial attraction to someone is very important, [but] bad hygiene is a deal-breaker!”

Only 6.12 percent said looks did not matter to them at all. The majority went with the noncommittal answer ‘sometimes’  there are a few qualities they consider very unattractive but usually appearance is not a deal-breaker. What is perhaps shocking is that not one student said they would date someone more attractive than them – Warwick students are clearly a pretty insecure bunch.

We also asked whether body type mattered when choosing a partner. Again, some (14.29 percent) said body type would be a deal-breaker, but don’t worry, that’s only in the case of morbid obesity – a lack of care for oneself appears to be quite the turnoff. One individual did comment that she would not chose a partner “if he was shorter than me (though I am pretty short so he would… have to be a hobbit)”. Bilbo Baggins is clearly not in the running then.

We had to find out whether money was on the mind when Warwick students are searching for a mate. Showing themselves in a good light, three quarters of those who answered said that wealth did not matter to them at all, with the next highest answer being that they may consider it occasionally. 4.17 percent did admit they would not date anyone poorer than them and, interestingly, one person said they wouldn’t choose someone who is wealthier than them –perhaps for fear of feeling inferior.

Personality is, unsurprisingly, another deciding factor for Warwick students looking for love. 75.5 percent answered that they would not choose a person unless they had personality traits they considered to be attractive. When asked what qualities they would avoid, responses ranged from arrogant, narcissistic and unkind, to violent, selfish and prejudiced. Only 4.08 percent said personality was not very important to them whilst no-one said they didn’t care about it at all (phew!).

Asking whether political and religious views were deal-breakers produced some interesting responses. Most didn’t seem to care about the political views of a potential partner, saying it would only become a problem if the views were offensive and extreme. In fact, one respondent said “I’m all up for a bit of debate! Different political views might actually be a good thing if you play it right!” Interestingly, no-one said they wouldn’t date anyone more left wing than them but 10.2 percent would avoid anyone more right wing than them, perhaps indicating a lack of conservatism in Warwick students. Luckily, we’re more accepting of religious beliefs; most answered that they wouldn’t mind what their partner believed in, as long as their own views were respected. Yet 12.24 percent did say that they wouldn’t date anyone whose beliefs they didn’t approve of (for example, if they were homophobic, racist or sexist).

When asked whether a potential partner’s hobbies were deal-breakers, we encountered quite a mix of responses. 6.12 percent said they wouldn’t want to date someone who didn’t share their interests for fear of having nothing to talk about. Most said they didn’t care about hobbies, but 10.2 percent said they would avoid anyone with unattractive hobbies like being obsessed with the gym or interested in anything illegal.

Luckily, the responses we received don’t indicate any cause for alarm; most Warwick students seem to be quite reasonable when it comes to evaluating a potential partner. Whilst I’m sure you’ve heard it before, the results emphasise that everyone is unique and that no two people are searching for the same thing in a partner. Looking into the reality of how relationships start shows just how wrong the films, books and other forms of media can be. Warwick students have shown themselves to be far from vain when looking for love — whilst attraction is an important influence, there are many other things to be considered before deciding on Mr./Mrs. Right.