Do men get attached more easily than women? And if so, does that represent a sea change in gender behaviors?
The researchers behind a new survey from Match.com seem to think that might be the case. Men apparently fall in love more quickly than women: 54 percent of guys say they’ve felt love at first sight, for instance, compared to 44 percent of women. Guys are also less interested in having time to themselves, away from their significant other: 77 percent of women say having personal space is “very important,” compared to just 58 percent of men, and only 23 percent of guys think it’s crucial to have regular nights out with their pals, as opposed to 35 percent of the ladies.
In a USA Today story about all this, biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, who helped develop the survey, said, “Men are now expressing some traditionally female attitudes, while women are adopting some of those long attributed to men.” Social historian Stephanie Coontz, who collaborated with Fisher on the project, added, “It’s just amazing confirmation about what has changed in the last 40 years.”
Full story: New study: Men get attached more easily than women