Four Easy Pieces: Four Things You Can Do To Attract Most (Nice) Guys

I've been walking around town thinking of what I want in a girl (not in terms of physical appearance). I ended up putting together a little list of what girls can do to attract me, figuring out how each would help in a situation such as running out of gas together. Maybe most people's true colors and character come out in times of crisis. Running out of gas together can be totally romantic...or it can just suck. It is what you make of it. Keep these four things in mind—I've talked to other guys who agree on all these points:

1. Smile

Everyone likes a positive person. I've had too many girlfriends and dates that seem to be jaded and bitter for whatever reason (maybe because they are hanging out with me). A girl who smiles a lot is soothing, plus so many girls' smiles are just so cute. So, if we ran out of gas, maybe all we can do is smile and realize it could be worse.

2. Have a sense of humor, and the ability to laugh at yourself

I hear girls love a sense of humor in guys—not that it has worked for me. Well, we love it too. My sister once told me that I was not going to be happy until I met a girl who made me laugh. At the time I scoffed at her—I was the funny one, and I planned to play that role in any relationship. But these days I long to find a girl who can make me laugh. Plus, there's nothing cuter than the gorgeous girl who is a total klutz and can make fun of herself. Showing the ability to make fun of stupid TV such as overblown Lifetime movies or late afternoon hungover TNT '80's flicks is a must. If you can see running out of gas as an adventure (how will we figure our way out of this one) versus an annoyance (you stupid jackass, I told you to fill the tank earlier), then we might have something there. OK, you can say both, just as long as it's still an adventure.

3. Tell me something I don't know

OK, so I like to read about a lot of geeky stuff: volcanoes, sharks, history music—whatever. I don't expect a girl to come up to me and lecture me on things and prove that she knows the same stuff I do. So, you're from Wisconsin? Tell me about Wisconsin. Or, your dad does something interesting for a living, you have an interesting/funny story about the bar we are in? Lately, it's occurred to me that I haven't been told anything by a girl that has made me say "wow that's interesting". Too much pop culture MTV and not enough History Channel I guess. You could pull an interesting fact out about our out of gas situation-- "this sucks-- but did you that Andy Warhol came up with his Marilyn Munroe concept while sitting on the side of the road after running out of gas?"

4. Exude Independence

Show me that you're not going to depend on just me for happiness, or to be the only person you have fun with or laugh with. A girl who has a lot of girlfriends and is close to them and her family is attractive. A girl who can't really hold on to many friends is a red flag. Of course I want to be there to make a girl happy and laugh and have fun, but I don't want to be the only thing in her life. It's tough to find that relationship where you are committed, but incredibly independent—but I hope it's possible. And an independant girl would not get annoyed at running out of gas, she'd say: "OK, this sucks, let's figure our way out of this. No time to waste"

I have a feeling that these are the same things girls are looking for in guys. Is it exactly the same, or are you girls looking for different things?