What do women want?

And you thought the WWW in www.oasisoflove.com stood for World Wide Web. It's actually an acronym for What Women Want.

That is the same question people have been asking for centuries, including women themselves. Is there a winning combination of characteristics that is guaranteed to pique a woman's interest?

I do not believe there is a clear-cut answer to the above question. Women are an enigma and they love that fact of mysteriousness associated with them. What a typical women wants may be definitive one day and totally different the next. Therefore, the combination of characteristics that would win a woman over is a combination of luck and some or all of what we're about to look at below.

Certain male characteristics will make a typical woman go weak at the knees. No matter what country, society, or culture you're in, these characteristics seem to hold true. The following are presented in no particular order.

1. Height: Being a tall man is almost always a free pass to gaining a woman's attention. Tall men have it easy in the dating department. Some women go out of their way to get close to a man that is tall. But how tall is tall? No specific height will make much sense here for the following reason. Germans are generally tall people for example, including the women, while Asians are less tall, including the men. Hence, what is considered tall in a typical Asian country, may be just average height or even short in Germany. Hence, the height that is considered tall varies from society to society.

2. Wealth: Wealth is a winner every time. Money is a form of power, and if you are a cut above the rest of your peers, and money happens to be no object to you, then you've got it made. Money commands respect. Although money can never buy you love, it certainly can get you a date. By extension, since you have to date someone before you get an opportunity to love that person, we can say that money plays a role in catalyzing love. That point may sound rather controversial, but if you think carefully about it, you would realize it's true. Money can be a facilitator toward love.

3. Confidence: Women just love a confident man! If you're not timid, and know how to express yourself, and speak convincingly about topics of interest, most women would take interest in you. Words have a strong influence on people. If you know how to use words exceptionally well, you can win people over easily. There is a thin line between confidence and arrogance however. You must watch yourself, so you do not cross that line. Arrogance is a turn off for most people.

4. Humor: People love to laugh. Most personal ads posted by women often include seeking a man that could make them laugh. On the other hand, you would hardly ever find a man that wants a woman who could make him laugh. One can therefore conclude that if you have the knack to get a strong laughter out of a woman, she might just draw closer to you as a result. Can you learn to be funny, even though you're not naturally that way? Let's make that something for you to ponder over.

5. Good looks: I think this point is self-explanatory.

6. Great smile: A great smile will warm most hearts. A good smile is invariably an assurance and a friendly invitation to somebody who doesn't know you. So if you're trying to get a date, this is a recipe for getting one. Of course, a smile alone is not enough. You must combine it with the other suggestions given above.

7. Agreeable: Men and women think differently. Women tend to be more emotional, while men see things in a more logical fashion. A typical man will try to rationalize an issue, and maybe stick strongly to his point of view. Such conviction could lead to disputes and arguments. When you as a man is dealing with a woman, you must learn to relax this kind of approach to discussions. It is no secret that women are generally more trusting of, and much closer to their female friends, than they are to a boyfriend, or husband. How could this be? It's because a woman's female friends are less likely to be argumentative, even when the woman in question is being rather irrational. The bottomline is, learn to be supportive when your lady is feeling down.

8. Pay compliments: Women spend a good amount of time complimenting each other's shoes, attire, hair, nails, etc. You can benefit a great deal from this knowledge by showering your woman with compliments. A little flattery, even if embelished, will get you somewhere.

9. Gifts: Be attentive to the things that your lady likes. Now and then bring home surprise gifts that she would appreciate. Some women cherish flowers. If yours does, then be sure to bring some home from time to time. Such gesture tells her that you're paying attention, and that she matters very much to you.

10. The L word: For some inexplicable reason, a woman wants to hear you say over and over again that you love her. It's as if she needs constant re-assurance that she's still your number one. How you as a man handle this situation is up to you, but at least you know that your woman loves to hear you say it.

11. Toilet seats: Don't ask me why, just do it. Leave those toilet seats down.

12. Remember anniversaries: Women go to great lengths to see if you're paying attention to them. One area of friction between men and women is when a typical man fails to remember anniversary dates. The day you first met is important. Her birthday is even more important. Valentine's day, your honeymoon, etc, should never slip your mind. Of course, remembring these dates should be accompanied with gifts for her.

13. Wandering eyes: As irresistible as it may be for you to look at other women while you're with your lady, you must learn to control that impulse. Whether you're taking a walk in the park, driving together in a car, watching TV, etc, you must control your excitement when you see other women. If you don't, you may make her jealous or worse, end up with melodrama on our hands.

    Of course, there are many ways of doing things. You could look from the corners of your eyes, or you could talk bad about the woman to your lady, and afterwards you could look all you want. To be fair though, put yourself in her shoes. How would you feel if she slobbers over another guy right in your presence? In that regard, do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

14. Sensitive Guy: Women appreciate a sensitive man. Obviously, we must shed light on what "sensitive" means. As it turns out, sensitive means different things to a woman than it does to a man.

    When a man cries in the presence of his lady, does she see him as sensitive, or as weak?
    Another scenario is a man who beats up another man in the presence of his lady. Does she see him as sensitive?

    Sensitive to a woman is a man who treats her with care, understanding, and words of encouragement. Therefore, a man who fights another man is seen as sensitive by a woman, as long as he's good to her. On the other hand, a man who cries is seen by his lady as whimpy.