Recently, I was having a discussion with a very dear friend about “the perfect woman.” Maybe not so much a discussion as the topic being brought up, in jest, but it was still enough to make me think more about the topic. I know that, almost a year ago, I had posted some drivel about the woman I wanted to date, but honestly I was in a bit of a funk at the time and know that our ideas in a perfect mate are not necessarily static.

To that end, I think I know what, at this point in time, my idea of “the perfect woman” is. Nothing too shallow, I hope, but probably very universal.

Naturally, physical attractiveness is important. No matter how much someone says they do not care about looks, the fact of the matter is 90% of our impressions about people are based on appearance. This is genetic, of course. We have certain qualities that we find to be ideal in a mate and we think should compliment our own genes and help create better progeny. (It’s evolution, kids. Looking for transitionary forms? Your own children are transitionary forms. Deal with it.) Barring physical appearance, since we really don’t have that much control over it in the first place, what else is important?

Intelligence. There are many people who think that just learning something new is intelligence. Hate to be a hater (no I don’t) but that is not intelligence. That is knowledge. Intelligence is the ability to take the knowledge you have, assimilate it, and apply it to tasks at hand, find the relevant links between the different types of knowledge you have gained, and use in to further the knowledge of everyone else. Spouting facts is knowledge. Using those facts to find something new is intelligence.

Surprisingly enough, I honestly think that is it. Except for her ability to deal with my inane rhetoric, but that is a skill that few, if any, will ever acquire.