As more adults look to the Internet to meet like-minded individuals, a bevy of descriptors have popped up to help us navigate the pool of potential love interests.
For example, are you a voracious reader? Do sporting events take up a significant percentage of your free time? How about traveling? After all, shared interests provide more than just casual conversation in our relationships — they offer shared experiences and mutual grounding.
So it probably comes as no surprise that the web has invented terminology for those among us attracted to intellect above all. Making its cultural debut on OKCupid sometime late last year, the term "Sapiosexual" denotes a person who who finds a cultured and socially conscious mind the most attractive personality trait of all.
But wait a second, wouldn't we all like to date someone with a sharp mind? According to the Daily Beast, "the people who use the term obviously intend it to have some sort of communicative value. A quick browse through OKCupid users who identify as sapiosexual in the New York area, for example, reveals some common themes: they’re young, they’re atheists, they live in Brooklyn, they list philosophical and theoretical texts as their favorite books."
So while the author points out that it may be a little "pretentious" and self-gratifying, what's so troublesome with prioritizing intelligence in our potential dating pools?
What do you think of this new term, and does it describe you? Let us know in the comments, and SHARE this post with your friends on Facebook!
1. There's a new term for the attraction to intelligence...
"Sapiosexual" denotes a person who who finds a cultured and socially conscious mind the most attractive personality trait of all.
2. Sapiosexuals are sometimes referred to as "nymphobrainiacs," according to Psychology Today.
"Those who are sapiosexual are those who are stimulated or challenged by the way another person thinks," writes Diana M. Raab, Ph.D over at Psychology Today. "They are basically in love with the mind. Sometimes, sapiosexual individuals have also been called “nymphobrainiacs,” or individuals who find it arousing to engage with the intellectual perspective of another person."
3. The word has officially entered the dating lexicon on OKCupid.
"People who use the term obviously intend it to have some sort of communicative value," writes the Daily Beast. "A quick browse through OKCupid users who identify as sapiosexual in the New York area, for example, reveals some common themes: they’re young, they’re atheists, they live in Brooklyn, they list philosophical and theoretical texts as their favorite books."
4. It's quickly becoming one of the most popular dating tags on the dating site.
"That was probably the primary reason we haven't done this earlier," Mike Maxim, chief technology officer at OkCupid, tells NPR of this and other new terminology. "You know, this has been a feature that's been requested now for, I don't know, years."
What do you think of this new term, and does it describe you? Let us know in the comments, and SHARE this post with your friends on Facebook!
