If she’s made of money, he’s sticking like honey — can ya dig it?
Cash often acts as the ultimate adhesive that binds a well-to-do tycoon to a money-hungry grifter. Those opportunistic, parasitic “gold diggers,” whom Kanye West and Jamie Foxx melodically scolded in their 2005 chart-topper about women who strategically rope rich men into romantic relationships for their own financial gain.
But now, decades later, 2026 data reveals that gals aren’t the only ones dating for funds — guys are guilty of the grubbing, too.
“Gold digging, often stereotyped as female behavior, is in fact not limited to women,” confirmed study authors for the Behavioral and Social Sciences Institute, in Vienna, Austria, in the new report.
Researchers, helmed by psychologist Lennart Freyth, even referenced West and Foxx’s “Gold Digger” song in their analysis, quoting the lyrics, “‘She takes my money when I’m in need.’”
“This description captures three core elements of the public conception of gold diggers,” the scientists wrote, dissecting the ditty. “First, exploiting money from others, second, not dating poor mates, third, being female.”
Shockingly, however, the insiders found that men with left-leaning political affiliations boast the highest rates of gold digging, which they define as a “partly psychopathy-linked social tactic.”
“In both sexes, gold digging is linked to narcissism, psychopathy, date investment expectations, and mate value,” investigators explained, adding, however, that “sadism” is uniquely exclusive to women of the predatory lifestyle.
The experts polled 351 ladies and gentlemen — all approximately age 30, representing a variety of sexual orientations — to determine their individual preferences for materialistic advantages versus intimacy-oriented partners.
The ipsative measure — or self-assessment — examined each participant’s personality (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, sadism), societal (sexual orientation, political orientation), and demographic/mating-market indicators (city size, studying, mate value).
Questions such as “[Do you prefer] a wealthy but faithful partner” vs. “A faithful but financially unreliable partner?” abounded throughout the 15-item survey.
Analysts concluded that non-heterosexual — homosexual or bisexual — leftist men scored higher on gold digging than all other groups.
Mid-left, non-heterosexual women scored higher than heterosexual women, while non-heterosexual right-wing women scored lower on gold digging.
“Overall, non-heterosexuals (homosexuals and bisexuals) and political leftists scored higher than heterosexuals, political centrists, and right-wingers,” said the specialists.
“Narcissists, psychopaths, higher mate value, and a high population density were linked to gold digging,” they continued, noting that the self-serving lovers often prefer big cities and were more likely to be students.
Male and female moochers alike also tend to be “reckless” narcissists who use their charming appearance to lure wealthy mates into their webs of deception, per the findings.
Freyth and his team warned affluent belles against falling for “performative males,” who appear to be especially sensitive or progressive with hearts in their eyes, but truly have dollar signs in their sights.
“These men increase their mating value by positioning themselves as compassionate, caring and empathetic,” Freyth said in a statement. “This way, women consider them less of a red flag.”
“Being agreeable at first glance makes you seem less threatening than someone who questions the status quo.”
As a final word to the wise, Freyth advised, “Keep in mind that even a guy who appears thoughtful and compassionate might have interests beyond your character.”
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