When people date 'out of their leagues'

A scene from the tvN drama, "Dating a Beauty"

By Ko Dong-hwan

Men and women react differently when they are set up on a date with a person they consider ``out of their league,’’ according to a joint survey by marriage consultancies Bien Aller and Only You.

After quizzing more than 500 single adults, the companies reported that men are usually euphoric about meeting a woman they thought was too attractive for them. Women are excited as well, but seem to approach the date with more strategy to ensure the man is attracted to them as well.

In a multiple-answer question, 44 percent of the male respondents picked ``heart thumps with anticipation’’ as their first reaction to being set up with a woman more attractive than he is. Less than 30 percent of the women picked the same answer.

The most popular answer among women was ``thinking ways to seduce him,’’ supported by more than 50 percent of the female participants.

``I guess this backs the perception that men are normally more passionate and romantic, while women are more realistic,’’ said Sohn Dong-gyu, an official from Bien Aller.