Mental Health

"The Perfect Man" Revealed in U.S. Survey

By Christine Hsu | Update Date: Jul 02, 2013 03:27 PM EDT

What makes a perfect man? Is it his physique, his age, his intellect or his paycheck?

According to a new poll, the perfect man is a 40-year-old successful doctor who looks like Patrick Dempsey and drinks moderately.

The survey, conducted by 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair, asked 1,168 adults in the U.S. about the qualities they believe are important in a partner.

The number one thing on the list was education, with 35 percent of respondents ranking it a young man's most important priority as he mature.  The second most important quality is to have motivation, with 28 percent ranking hard work as the most important quality. Being a gentleman was believed to be the most important quality for 27 percent of survey respondents. However, only one percent said athletic ability was the most important quality.

Participants were also asked which celebrity character they would most likely want to marry.  A third of survey respondents said Patrick Dempsey's Dr. Derek 'McDreamy' Shephard of Grey's Anatomy. However, Jack Donaghy from 30 Rock got the vote of 4 percent, while Mad Men's Don Draper and Robb Stark from Game of Thrones got 3 percent each.

The worst qualities for a man is having a bad temper and being a drunk. 

Survey respondents also seem to believe that a man's relationship with his mother also plays a key role.  Around 69 percent say that she has " a lot of control" and 9 percent claim that she has 'total control".

While most survey respondents believe that a man's success should be measured by the age of 40, around 23 percent of people say the deadline extends until the "deathbed".

© 2023 Counsel & Heal All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics