In my family studies class, our professor asked us to come up to the board and write the qualities we want in a short-term relationship on one side, and the qualities we want in a long-term relationship on the other side. The short-term side got the adjectives you’d expect, a 6’2” muscular bad boy with a man bun and a stature you could hurl your body weight at without him even flinching. But on the long-term side, it was a different story. The height stayed the same, but words like smart, funny, sweet, were all highly favored. One word in particular struck me: nerdy. I couldn’t even count on my fingers and toes how many times I have heard “nice guys finish last,” but they finish last because they are the last guys we wind up with. We should skip all the fuckboys and jump straight to dating nerds.

Nerdy = passionate.

Nerds are nothing more than people who are avid fans of one specific thing. A man without passion will most likely lack ambition. Passion is also generally synonymous with steamy, and romantic. Not a bad deal. He’ll treat you like the queen that you are.

Nerds are usually mama’s boys, which means they were bred to treat women well. You think he’d live to see the next morning if his mom found out he had texted you “Sex?” when he got home from the bar? I think not. Nerds tend to dress well

Every girl’s crazy about a sharply dressed man. Plus, formal pics will get you featured on your chapter’s tumblr page for sure. You can be weird around him.

He has no problem being himself, so you can wear your heart and your nerd on your sleeve. Make funny faces, speak in silly voices, dance around your apartment while scream-singing Beyoncé. He’ll probably join! There are no games.

He didn’t text you back because he was legitimately busy. He liked that girl’s picture because he is just friends with her and she looked nice in it. He meant it when he said you look pretty. Gone are the days of overthinking. What you see is what you get. Nerds are smart.

Intelligence is rarely a shortcoming. With intelligence usually comes a sense of humor. Being quick-witted will always keep you on your toes and entertained. Dumb guys get boring very quickly. Nerds are “husband material.”

Nerds are in it for the long haul. They aren’t fickle or feeble-minded, so you won’t feel like you are constantly walking on eggshells trying to keep him around. He won’t wake up one morning and decide he doesn’t like you anymore. Plus, he’ll be willing to work out any fight you do have. “Netflix and chill” is not in their vocabulary.

Nerds will take you out on proper dates, and not even with an end game in mind. They genuinely want to spend time with you. There are no ulterior motives. Taking all the pressure off keeps it fun. He’ll be proud to call you his.

Any chance he gets, he’ll want to tell everyone from his lab partner to his labradoodle what a catch you are. He’ll hold your hand, introduce you as his girlfriend, and as much as you hate it, he might even post you as his #WCW. Nerds are good with family.

He won’t clam up when your mom asks him what his plans for the future are, and your dad will find him just unthreatening enough to feel like you are in good hands. He’ll follow your younger sister on IG and shower her in likes, and listen to your great pop-pop’s war stories with vigorously feigned interest. This will make the holiday season a whole lot less awkward, even when your great aunt starts getting a little racist at the dinner table. He’s thoughtful.

He’ll take you out to ice cream and make sure to grab you a few napkins because he knows how messy you are. He’ll appropriately quote your favorite movie and know just what music to play when you are in the car with him. He listens when you talk and takes notes, which is something that is hard to come by.

So date a nerd. They’re here for a good time AND a long time..