Nice guys and gals can finish first: Personality and speed-dating success among Asian Americans

In Western culture, both pop theory and recent behavioral research support the “nice guy stereotype,” suggesting that communal qualities that emphasize caring for others may be unattractive in men. Few studies, however, have examined the initial attractiveness of personality in other cultures through methods other than self-report. We tested associations between personal attributes (i.e., communal attributes, social desirability, self-esteem, narcissism) and speed-dating success (i.e., ratings of mate desirability) among young Asian Americans. Single Asian Americans (N = 262) went on speed-dates (N observations = 2,181) with members of the other gender and completed questionnaires about each date. Using the social relations model, we found that communal attributes (both self-rated and perceived) and self-esteem, but not social desirability or narcissism, contributed to greater speed-dating success for men and women. On the whole, contrary to the popular saying and previous findings among Europeans/European Americans, findings indicate that nice guys and gals can finish first.