Why Do So Many Hot Guys Think They Can Get Away With Terrible Behavior?

Why Do So Many Hot Guys Think They Can Get Away With Terrible Behavior? ©iStock/gilaxia

Do attractive guys really think they can be selfish, arrogant jerks and get away with it? Heck, some of them they know they can. Here’s why their sexy looks blind us to the crap they put us through:

  1. Blame the Halo Effect. We tend to warm to people who have positive qualities such as attractiveness. But the problem is that this attractiveness can make us ignore their bad behavior. That’s what the Halo Effect is. A study by Eastern Kentucky University tested 170 women’s views of men and found that a handsome guy’s bad behavior is more likely to be tolerated. Although we might tend to assume (thanks to fairy tales) that a gorgeous guy is a good person, this isn’t always the case, so we need to see the bad behavior for what it is and trust it — it’s so much more important than sexy cheekbones. Really.
  2. Hot guys are used to getting their way. Halo Effect or not, really hot guys are accustomed to having women throw themselves at them, and this has gone to their (sexy) heads. They think they can take control and get their way with us because so many others have allowed it to happen. It’s this confidence that can sway us into thinking it’s sexy when guys take control, which then makes us totally lose ours. Ugh.
  3. They back up their looks with charm. If it was just about good looks, that would become boring after a while. Hot guys know to back up their attractiveness with charm, so when we meet them and they shower us with attention, it’s an ego stroke and makes us feel they’re good guys. We might tell our friends that they’re not only hot but nice — only they’re not nice, they just know how to wheel out the charm.
  4. They get away with being weird… and actually make it look hot. This might sound crazy but it’s true. If a guy we’re not attracted to does something weird, like serenading us with a really bad voice or bringing a very romantic gift to our first date, we’ll probably be creeped out. But if the guy’s hot, his weirdness will probably be seen as cute and his over-the-top romance will be impressive instead of making us label him a stalker.
  5. They make us feel wanted. There aren’t that many guys that catch our eyes, so when a hot one shows interest, it’s intoxicating. This makes us feel wanted and special, which is even more powerful if we’re in need of some validation. Hot guys know this, which is why they’ll become Mr. Perfect for awhile. (Spoiler alert: it doesn’t usually last.)
  6. They seem strong and capable. Grrr. Research from Brunel University in London measured the bodies of 125 women and men with a 3D scanner to rate physical attractiveness and then put participants through a personality test too. The results showed that more attractive men tend to behave in less favorable ways, economically and socially. Historically, this could be linked to strength: people with greater physical assets were seen as influential and in possession of greater bargaining power. So when the hot guy chats us up at the bar with biceps and a persuasive tongue, we can blame our ancestors for going home with him. The only problem is that his appeal is set to fade. The above study also found that attractive men tend to be more selfish.
  7. Their bad boy appeal is sexy AF. Bad boys are always hot — how else are they supposed to get so much love? They come across as mysterious and adventurous, which blasts some fresh air into our stale routines and can cause us to throw caution to the wind, even though deep down under the butterflies in our stomachs we know there’s a good chance we’ll get our hearts smashed. Here’s something that will make us think twice before agreeing to go on a date with that leather-clad Ryan Gosling lookalike: according to an article in Psychology Today, bad boys have what’s known as ‘Dark Triad’ personality traits that are linked to psychopathy and narcissism. Eek.
Giulia Simolo is a writer from Johannesburg, South Africa with a degree in English Language and Literature. She has been working as a journalist for more than a decade, writing for sites including AskMen, Native Interiors, and Live Eco. You can find out more about her on Facebook and LinkedIn, or follow her on Twitter @GiuliaSimolo.
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