It is a phenomenon that has baffled mothers, fathers and the classic “nice guys” throughout human history, but perhaps no one expresses the paradox quite as eloquently as acclaimed rapper Earl Simmons, better known to his fans as DMX – “Why do good girls like bad guys? Knowin’ that bad guys tell mad lies…”

Indeed, it is a truly profound question, one for which there is no simple answer. Nevertheless, researchers have uncovered one factor which appears to play a major role in this phenomenon – ovulation! Various studies (e.g. Gangestad, Simpson, Cousins, Garver-Apgar, & Christensen, 2004, cited in Durante, Griskevicius, Simpson, Cantu & Li, 2012; Thornhill & Gangestad, 2008, cited in Durante et al., 2012) have found that ovulating women have an increased desire for the prototypical sexy cads – men who are attractive, dominant and who live on the edge – even though these men may not be interested in a long term relationship. Continue reading →