Is this true? I hear a friend say this to me and I heard some masculinity coaches saying this.  From my observations it is true. Especially in a regular relationship where the woman is seeking to start a family and needs a guy to provide and protect.  Most women are hypergamous. So they want a guy to be better or higher up the social and economic chain. It is pure coincidence but I was talking to a salsa dancing friend and he said the same thing: if you want to make a chance with a girl you have to be the better dancer but that is out of the scope of this thread.  It makes me think. Does love really exist? Modern relationships are based on value exchange. You basically have to have what the other person wants which is basically value exchange aka win win relationships. Unconditional love is not a real thing; only lack of options which people falsely characterize as love.