Stay Home, Don't Travel: Men Only Succeed in Own Cultures

[Someone]

This site is devoted to male travel in pursuit of opportunities elsewhere, but at least one scientist is arguing the opposite.

Noted evolutionary scientist Satoshi Kanazawa wrote a popular-science book called "Why Beautiful People Have More Daughters" in which one section is devoted to international travel for romance.



Kanazawa argues that for women, international travel is a perfect idea because women's market value comes from physical appearance and youth -- innate values which are universal. But for men, market value comes from social/cultural "ornamentation" rather than physical "ornamentation."

"...Such social and cultural ornamentation, however, presents men with one problem...: It does not travel well. Social and cultural ornamentation is, by definition, socially and culturally specific. Men cannot brag about their achievements in conversations with women unless they speak the same language. Yanomamo women in the Amazon rain forest would not be able to tell the difference between a BMW and a Hyundai or the difference between an Armani suit and a Burger King uniform, and their status implications; a Grammy or a Nobel Prize will not impress them at all. (Has any Nobel prize winner ever had massive head scars, indicating their experience in club fights?) Conversely, Western women are unlikely to be impressed by body scars and large penis sheaths. Signs of men's status and mate value are specific to societies and cultures, and they lose meaning outside of them."

"This is in clear contrast to women's status and mate value. Standards of youth and physical attractiveness, the two most important determinants of women's status and mate value, are culturally universal because they are innate... Men in preliterate and innumerate cultures without any concept of fractions or the decimal point will be able to distinguish between women with 1.0 and 0.7 waist-to-hip ratios. Yanomamo men will see that a Victoria's Secret lingerie model is extremely "moko dude" (a Yanomamo phrase meaning "perfectly ripe")..."

"If men's status and value are specific to their own society and culture, then they should avoid different cultures, where a completely different set of rules, of which they are ignorant, may apply. In contrast, women should not avoid foreign cultures... because rules applicable to them are cross-culturally universal."

(p. 176-177)

One exception: Married men should definitely travel, according to Kanazawa, because "mates are probably the only ornamentation ... men can display that is cross-culturally meaningful" -- in other words, women everywhere prefer men who are already paired to other women. Single men, however, don't have this advantage and can't advertise themselves cross-culturally very effectively.

It's worth noting, however, that Kanazawa himself is married to a Russian woman. He's a Japanese-American academic living in the US.

[djfourmoney]

What sort of nonsense is this?

Western men, especially American men have value overseas because of our media, not accomplishments.

Beautiful women stay home because they get the most value at home, DUH!

[Someone]

I wouldn't call this nonsense. As you probably know, there are tons of young "au-pairs" (female nannies or students) historically coming to the US in droves from Eastern Europe, Latin America, etc. -- I've dated quite a few and I'm sure you have too. Part of their motivation for coming here is to advertise themselves to potential Western husbands/boyfriends. Travel in the opposite direction -- men going overseas to advertise themselves to foreign women -- is almost unheard-of.

But as I said, Kanazawa himself married a Russian woman, paradoxically. And those men who don't do well in their own local cultures (such as here in America) probably have a very good reason to try themselves elsewhere.

[djfourmoney]

I wouldn't call this nonsense. As you probably know, there are tons of young "au-pairs" (female nannies or students) historically coming to the US in droves from Eastern Europe, Latin America, etc. -- I've dated quite a few and I'm sure you have too. Part of their motivation for coming here is to advertise themselves to potential Western husbands/boyfriends. Travel in the opposite direction -- men going overseas to advertise themselves to foreign women -- is almost unheard-of.

But as I said, Kanazawa himself married a Russian woman, paradoxically. And those men who don't do well in their own local cultures (such as here in America) probably have a very good reason to try themselves elsewhere.

I was talking about the part that men's value can't be sold overseas because you don't speak the same language. Well isn't that obvious? In Western Culture what you do defines what you are unlike previous generations where it was a Caste system. But we assign the tag "loser" to those who don't achieve material wealth/status.

This is why it doesn't matter what job you have or your financial position is back in Canada, America or UK. Many local women in whatever country you're in, especially developing countries know that men (expats) who happen to work for Western, Multi-National companies usually have "pick of the litter" of the local female population, the same attractive women the 20% also date. That leaves again a vast middle of women between 6-8 on the looks scale.

That is plenty of women available but given the tiny numbers of Western men who travel to another country looking to solidify their personal lives, the law of supply vs demand comes into place.

Many more women than men who actually make the trip.

[Ghost]

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[sushiman]

Yes, it's true people in a different country find it difficult to gauge foreigners social status. Unless you are introduced to people by a local who explains your social status in their local terms.

[TopSpruce]

I think the guy might have a point in that you shouldn't travel to countries that are too different from your own.

I think if you find a culture that is relatively similar to yours it will make it a lot easier, no matter what.