An illustrated introduction to Briffault’s Law, originally conceptualized by Robert Briffault, a British surgeon who found fame as a social anthropologist and later in life as a novelist. Referred to as “the most important concept you can learn as a man”, this edu-taining guide explains “the Rosetta Stone of female behavior”.

The official definition is below, but in very simple terms, it is important to understood if a woman is receiving no continued flow of benefit, attention, resources from a man…. he ceases to exist to her. A man may be in a personal relationship with a woman, where she may have lived with (or “loved”) him under the presumption that it is his inherent personhood which mattered to her.

It didn’t.

The “relationship” only exists for as long as he provides a benefit and fills a specific or useful purpose. When that benefit is no longer provided by the male, no relationship (not even a civil or friendly one) takes place. This is why it’s possible to live with a woman for years with whom he may think he is “investing” his time and dedication, and once the benefit is no longer provided – or desired, because she found a suitable replacement – she will completely detach herself as if no association ever existed.

Briffault’s Law

The female, not the male, determines all the conditions of the animal family. Where the female can derive no benefit from association with the male, no such association takes place.

There are a few corollaries:

1. Past benefit provided by the male does not provide for continued or future association.

2. Any agreement where the male provides a current benefit in return for a promise of future association is null and void as soon as the male has provided the benefit (see corollary 1)

3. A promise of future benefit has limited influence on current/future association, with the influence inversely proportionate to the length of time until the benefit will be given and directly proportionate to the degree to which the female trusts the male (which is not bloody likely).