It definitely isn't the only criteria.

But here's what that kind of enthusiasm means in general; passion. Anybody that can love a section of knowledge so much that they can gush about it is a person that can have true passion for knowledge overall.

That's a sign of an active, usually quick, mind. And that is something that anyone with sense wants in a partner.

I don't deny that people put women into a little box that says "not of equal mind", if only by subconscious absorption of that behavior. It happens all the damn time, even by other women.

So, it's obvious that plenty of men are going to be idiots that default to quiet or otherwise not enthusiastic women. And I've seen plenty of lesbians do the same.

But, a year or two down the line, they stop talking to each other, and things turn into this empty, dull rut. They turn into a caricature of a relationship where nobody is truly happy.

That idea is horrible to me. And, I don't think I'm that big of an outlier. Not the majority for sure, but it isn't like the idea of wanting to partner with someone that can find joy in learning about something and sharing that knowledge is that unusual. I've known too many men that picked a partner with that kind of personality and mind.