Joe Quirk takes a look at the implications of evolutionary biology in the human mating ritual we call “spring break” in the article The Geek’s Guide To Getting Girls. He starts out wondering “what do women want?” I have to sigh a little every time I hear that one.

Women want everything. Just like men. There are some things we want that men don’t, just as there are a few things men want that women don’t. Still, we all want a long happy life, material possessions, someone to love and to enjoy our time with, connections with people whose interests we share, a sense of accomplishment, adventures, good health, admiration from our peers, sexual satisfaction, children who make us proud, and a little ice cream after dinner.

That’s pretty easy to figure out. But that has nothing to do with what men want to know. What they are really asking is, “What do women want from men?” We can all read between the lines when we read such articles. The Geek’s Guide To Getting Girls focuses on what college women on a vacation break in a remote location look for in selecting a sexual partner for a very short-term relationship. Which is pretty much what happens in the animal kingdom, when the females in their prime reproductive years select sexual partners from a number of males competing for their favor. In other words, how to get laid. And here’s a spoiler: the geek can get the girl on spring break.

PS: I sat down and wrote several pages on the difference between mating strategies for spring break vs. strategies for finding a long-term partner, then discarded it. If anyone is interested in the musings of a 51-year-old female geek who’s been married more times than she cares to count, I’d be surprised.

Editor’s note: Miss C’s post today made me thought of an old article we published in 2008. The Geek’s Ultimate Guide to Picking Up Girls takes a humorous (and not too serious) look at strategies male geeks can use to meet women who have similar interests.

Tags: biology, mating, spring break