Wednesday, June 09, 2004
Tell Me, Have You Seen Her?
On Match.com, they have this physical attraction test which supposedly scientifically identifies the features that you find most attractive in members of the opposite sex, and then provides you with a picture of the type of person you might find attractive. Several months ago, out of curiosity, I decided to give their little test a try to see how accurately they could predict what kind of person might "float my boat" so to speak. I was, admittedly, somewhat skeptical, until I saw the results.
Compiling their data, they determined that I would most likely be interested in women who look similar to one of these people.
I must say that this is quite accurate as I find all three of these women to be incredibly beautiful- particularly the one on the left. (Although I am curious as to why all three of them are wearing the exact same blue shirt. Perhaps they are part of some religious cult?)
Realizing, of course, that there is more to a woman than her physical appearance, I began to think about the other qualities that I would find most important in a woman. I had an online conversation regarding this matter with a good friend of mine named Shannon, who is completing her PhD in psychology or something at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. I walked away from this conversation realizing that she is incredibly gifted in this field. I have provided excerpts of the conversation, which were conveniently stored in my msn message history.
Me: Well, it's not necessarily that important to me that I be on the same page with somebody politically. I realize I have some rather extreme ideas in some areas and it would be hard to find somebody who shared them, unless I started attending Libertarian Party social functions. And it's not like I would instantly rule somebody out because they didn't have dark hair or whatever.
Shannon: Ok, well i'm waiting to hear the important parts! I know you're repulsed by "rah-rah christians"...how do you phrase that?
Me: Yeah...the kind of people who, when you ask them how they're doing they respond with something like, "Oh, God is AWESOME!" I hate that.
Shannon: So, maybe somebody with a mature faith that has actually lived through tragedy or disappointment. Maybe a critical thinker who is willing to look at faith issues honestly instead of relying on pat answers.
Me: Yeah, that's the ticket!
Shannon: You may have somewhat better chances of finding someone like that if they have studied theology at the graduate level. Sunday school answers get blown out of the water when you really have to examine the text holistically, in context, and dialogue with criticisms. It also seems like it's important for you to find someone who is not scared of secular culture, but willing to engage with it with an open mind.
Me: Dang, you're good.
(At this point, the conversation was pretty much one-sided, as she accurately described what I was looking for, while I sat there with my jaw dropped wide-open.)
Shannon: I'm guessing you'd want a critical thinker in general--someone not willing to eat up the news or popular opinions automatically. Like an NPR listener would be good.
Me: I was once talking to a girl in whom I had some level of interest. During the conversation, I started making fun of those annoying Christian voter guides that get handed out at churches around election time. You know...the mentality that if you're a Christian then you must automatically be opposed to Indian Gaming Casinos and absolutely must vote for George W. Bush. She mentioned that she finds those guides quite helpful. That got under my skin.
Shannon: As well it should...Perhaps if you signed up for eHarmony or something with all those stipulations in mind, you might have some luck.
Me: Yeah...I'm not sure if I'm eHarmony material. Those people all have jobs and stuff.
There isn't much beyond that. So, if you happen to be at the store, or the beach, or Disneyland or whatever and happen to see a woman who looks similar to those pictured above, and who happens to possess the qualities described in the preceding conversation do me a favor and give her my number, ok?
On Match.com, they have this physical attraction test which supposedly scientifically identifies the features that you find most attractive in members of the opposite sex, and then provides you with a picture of the type of person you might find attractive. Several months ago, out of curiosity, I decided to give their little test a try to see how accurately they could predict what kind of person might "float my boat" so to speak. I was, admittedly, somewhat skeptical, until I saw the results.
Compiling their data, they determined that I would most likely be interested in women who look similar to one of these people.
I must say that this is quite accurate as I find all three of these women to be incredibly beautiful- particularly the one on the left. (Although I am curious as to why all three of them are wearing the exact same blue shirt. Perhaps they are part of some religious cult?)
Realizing, of course, that there is more to a woman than her physical appearance, I began to think about the other qualities that I would find most important in a woman. I had an online conversation regarding this matter with a good friend of mine named Shannon, who is completing her PhD in psychology or something at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena. I walked away from this conversation realizing that she is incredibly gifted in this field. I have provided excerpts of the conversation, which were conveniently stored in my msn message history.
Me: Well, it's not necessarily that important to me that I be on the same page with somebody politically. I realize I have some rather extreme ideas in some areas and it would be hard to find somebody who shared them, unless I started attending Libertarian Party social functions. And it's not like I would instantly rule somebody out because they didn't have dark hair or whatever.
Shannon: Ok, well i'm waiting to hear the important parts! I know you're repulsed by "rah-rah christians"...how do you phrase that?
Me: Yeah...the kind of people who, when you ask them how they're doing they respond with something like, "Oh, God is AWESOME!" I hate that.
Shannon: So, maybe somebody with a mature faith that has actually lived through tragedy or disappointment. Maybe a critical thinker who is willing to look at faith issues honestly instead of relying on pat answers.
Me: Yeah, that's the ticket!
Shannon: You may have somewhat better chances of finding someone like that if they have studied theology at the graduate level. Sunday school answers get blown out of the water when you really have to examine the text holistically, in context, and dialogue with criticisms. It also seems like it's important for you to find someone who is not scared of secular culture, but willing to engage with it with an open mind.
Me: Dang, you're good.
(At this point, the conversation was pretty much one-sided, as she accurately described what I was looking for, while I sat there with my jaw dropped wide-open.)
Shannon: I'm guessing you'd want a critical thinker in general--someone not willing to eat up the news or popular opinions automatically. Like an NPR listener would be good.
Me: I was once talking to a girl in whom I had some level of interest. During the conversation, I started making fun of those annoying Christian voter guides that get handed out at churches around election time. You know...the mentality that if you're a Christian then you must automatically be opposed to Indian Gaming Casinos and absolutely must vote for George W. Bush. She mentioned that she finds those guides quite helpful. That got under my skin.
Shannon: As well it should...Perhaps if you signed up for eHarmony or something with all those stipulations in mind, you might have some luck.
Me: Yeah...I'm not sure if I'm eHarmony material. Those people all have jobs and stuff.
There isn't much beyond that. So, if you happen to be at the store, or the beach, or Disneyland or whatever and happen to see a woman who looks similar to those pictured above, and who happens to possess the qualities described in the preceding conversation do me a favor and give her my number, ok?
