Why Women Never Choose The Nice Guy

The gist

1. Williamson points to The Notebook, Titanic and Twilight, where the steady, responsible partner loses to the impulsive or troubled one and it's framed as a happy ending.
2. Quoting Jason Pargin, he says these movies taught that the worst thing a man could be is a grown-up with a job and responsibility.
3. Williamson says our brains confuse scarcity with value, so hot-and-cold texting works like a slot machine's variable reward and feels like love.
4. Citing Roy Baumeister, he argues women set the standards and men meet them, so rewarding flaky men produces more flaky men.
5. He shares Alain de Botton's advice to only date people who are keen and open from the start, without chasing, begging or persuasion.