I've been wanting to write something about this and hadn't gotten that far yet, but yes, women primarily respond to how you make them feel. Really listening to them and paying attention - particularly when most women feel dismissed, discounted, and marginalized by all sorts of men on the regular - is a wonderful strategy. It's reportedly one of the things that made short, jowly Henry Kissinger so irresistible. He genuinely liked women and listened to them intently.

Most women don't care about your status or money. They care about how you make them feel. Your story about your friend's roommate is spot on.