Men Have NO Idea What Women Want For V-Day

What women want — it's more complex (but also a lot simpler) than the Mel Gibson rom-com makes it seem. Figuring out what to get women for Valentine's Day really shouldn't be such a struggle. We want shiny things and simple gestures. We want to feel desired and respected by our loved ones. We want our interests and skills celebrated by those close to us. I'm not sure why women are known to be so incredibly difficult to shop for, but every February there are at least a handful of ads depicting a confused boyfriend or husband scouring the earth for a gift that will hopefully keep him out of the proverbial dog house.

It's certainly an interesting and time-honored expectation though: The man needs to buy a gift for his lady, and no matter what he buys, he will probably get it wrong. Well, the folks at WhatsYourPrice.com decided to put that trope to the test and see just how often that happens IRL. Based on the results of a dating survey, they created the infographic below, which includes the most popular Valentine's Day gifts that women wanted to receive, by state, and which gifts men were most likely to buy. The most popular gifts included all the V-Day classics: jewelry, chocolates, flowers, and lingerie.

The most shocking thing about these results? That 86 percent of men got it wrong. There were only seven states where the majority of men got the right gifts for their SOs: New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, West Virginia, Mississippi, Minnesota, and Michigan. I have no idea what that means in terms of finding the perfect mate, but it seems like men who face the harshest weather seem to be attuned to their women's wants. Also that maybe every couple on the West Coast should either boycott Valentine's Day, or get very good at saying, "Well, it's the thought that counts."

Check out the full infographic below:

Image: Fotolia; Infographic/WhatsYourPrice