The Numbers Game: Dating within your rank

I am a bit surprised this hasn't been a topic for blogging before today. I have long associated with myself with the numbers theory, something I identified in college and FIRMLY believe in.

In my opinion, all men and women date within their range of numbers. Using the typical scale of 1 - 10, people tend to seek out those who fall on or close to their number (allowing a two point leeway either way). For example, if a woman is an 8, she might date another 8 or within her range, a 6 or a 10. If a man is a 2, he would date someone who is either at his status or perhaps slightly below.

Take some time to think of all the couples you know. I would bet that every one of them falls into this equation. Celebrity couples are great for this theory too (although at the present time, there are a few exceptions JLo/ Marc Anthony, Sienna Miller/ Rhys Ifans, even Brad Pitt has had his faults in the past... Juliette Lewis is not quite the 10 he is).

Great examples from Hollywood in all rankings:

-Drew Barrymore and Justin Long

-Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner

-Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal

-Present day Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

You get the picture.

To my surprise, Ryan Seacrest addressed a similar idea on his show this morning. He referred to a study that was recently covered by Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,340869,00.html
It suggests that men and women are in happier married relationships when women marry someone less attractive than they are. Reasons behind this are that men are more satisfied and less likely to get bored (uh thanks guys) and women look for a guy who can help them reproduce (I obviously disagree with this notion, and personally think it's because women are more interested in a complete package... brains, sense of humor, goal driven... looks will only go so far over years of dinner conversations)

This theory doesn't negate mine. On the contrary, it identifies that in the 82 couples who participated, when women make the conscious decision to marry lower than their ranking it appears their marriages are happier. The operative phrase being "conscious decision"... not instinctive.
I also argue that it is much more common for an "8" woman to date a "6" man. Although still in her league, the woman does tend to go for a guy who is on the lower end of this scale, and most likely meets non-physical criteria.

I should probably team up with the conductors of the study to continue research on the matter and further develop a formal number scale and rating system. Keep an eye out for my follow-up research article in Times or Newsweek.