It depends on the female; they do vary. While many are attracted by fame and/or wealth, some are attracted by intellectual qualities, like Simone de Beauvoir and the one quoted in the NYT article.  See the recent discussion here about a woman who broke off her relationship because the guy hadn't heard of Pushkin.

"I had the whole existential torment thing and spent a year in the Philosophy Dept ... never did anything for me in the area under discussion."

All that torment for nothing - bad luck :-) As usual with people, we're talking about tendencies; having some existential angst seems to attract some women, as does being sensitive. But while these may be necessary conditions for some women, they may not be sufficient.

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.