Why????????

One reason that males have a difficulty with intelligent successful ladies is our male ego has a problem because we want control and we realize that we have lost some control when we are around people more intelligent than we are.

There are many women that derive their self-worth from the way they look, always insecure over their weight, clothes, et cetera.

Many men have the same thing, but with status. They derive self-worth from having a good job, getting respect, being seen as a leader, that sort of thing (look at all the guys above immediately going "what!! I'm not afraid!!").

Of course there's nothing wrong with either of those, it's just the way people are. Biology. Comes from how we choose mates.

So in the fictional ideal relationship where you both increase each other's self worth to the max, the man makes the woman feel beautiful and sexy, and the woman makes the man feel smart and powerful.

And although it is very cool to see a smart and successful woman, I love them, my wife is one, it does mean one more point in a relationship that's slightly less smooth than it could be. Because often both are trying to lead, and it can feel as a direct hit to a man's self-worth if he happens to "lose a fight" in a way that it doesn't for women.

Of course, there's ample things that make up for it :-)

I've got a smart and succesful woman, and she keeps me in line.

Can't get her playing chess though, she's scrabble mad though :(

 Good point well made. And is it smart to rely on generalizations such as the one above? Not every guy is afraid of smart women, not even most of them. In fact probably not even most of the ones that are smart and successfull themselves (you can smother the competitionary instinct by competing them via a healthier medium -in chess for example- ;loser does the dishes).

If you are never-the-less worried that you're overly competent for your insignificant other ad hoc, I may suggest a stupid and unsuccesfull neanderthal who's gratified to be merely bigger than you. I hear they grow around South Carolina...

This is not chess discussion.

 So what? Go find some there's plenty on here.

Please don't spread this around. I don't like smart women because they see through me and my intentions.

I'm only afraid of ugly ones.

Hey ugly women are usually much nicer than their prettier counter parts. Besides you shouldnt judge someone based on what they were born with, but instead what kind of a person they are and what they've accomplished through hard work.

Of course they are, I didn't said they don't!

and...please don't take life too seriously.

I'm not afraid of my girlfriend, who gave you that idea.

Oh there she comes, gtg bye...

...except grammer school!

Its not how smart you are, it's what are you smart at.

aha

My wife is a smart & successful woman. I wouldn't have it any other way! She's hot, too. 

If you compare my career path options to my girlfriends, if we end up married I'm probably going to be a stay-at-home dad and she'll rake in the cash. I love it.

 Haha!! Are you her pimp?

Guys are not afraid of women in the sense that they fear physical harm.  Many women suffer greatly from emotions even they cannot understand. Guys are more attracted to girls who can be "one of the guys" because a girl with this quality is much more emotionally stable.  In my experience, the type of girl most likely to fall into this category is usually less intelligent/successful.  So, a bright, successful girl who is emotionally unstable will indeed experience men who seem "afraid" of them. 

"Most" guys are not.

I'll rephrase for you, "Why are some guys afraid of smart and successful women?"

Answer:  Because some guys are of the ignorant opinion that males are superior to females and as a result hate to see a female with more intelligence or money than them.

Smart and successful women are exactly the type of women that I like.  I am loathed to be acquanted with ignorant women, particularly those who are not themselves in order to be what they think you want them to be.

Hahaha, you know it.

Just kidding. Not at all though, I'm a music composition student and she's a chemical engineer. "Rake in the cash" was comparative to me.