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Men are simple, and they don't like what they don't like.
By Kait Smith — Last updated on Jun 19, 2023
While it may seem fairly easy to figure out what attracts a man to a woman, what about the things that turn a man off?
What are the specific types of qualities that men don't find attractive in women and that even repel them from women? And do these things change over time?
So, yes, the question of what it takes to attract a man may be pretty simple, but the science behind what repels him may be a little bit more complex.
However, we have found the 10 traits that men find to be the most unappealing in a woman upon a first meeting, as well as the 10 most unappealing traits in a woman over time.
How do we know this crucial information?
What repels men the most in women — both initially and long-term?
In a massive survey from 2011 of more than 20,000 men and women, YourTango partnered with Glo.com and Chemistry.com to determine what the true power of attraction in relationships is.
While we found out how men and women feel overall about attraction — 90 percent agreed that, even after the initial allure fades, a romance can be rekindled.
And we also discovered more specific details on exactly what fuels the fire for both men and women. In addition, for men, we found what extinguishes their fire, too.
Men are most repelled by these 10 qualities, according to research:
1. Poor personal hygiene
2. Narcissism/lack of empathy
3. Lack of chemistry
4. Boredom/lack of adventure
5. Immaturity
6. Racist or prejudiced speech
7. Extreme views on religion
8. Lack of spark
9. Lack of intelligence
10. Lack of drive/ambition
In comparison, over time, men deem these top 10 traits to be the most likely to repel them from women:
1. Poor personal hygiene
2. Lack of romantic love
3. Lack of chemistry
4. Boredom/lack of adventure
5. Immaturity
6. Narcissism/lack of empathy
7. Racist or prejudiced ideologies
8. Extreme views on religion
9. Lack of intelligence
10. Lack of drive/ambition
Interestingly enough, we don't see an awful lot of changes from one list to the other. Perhaps these results just reaffirm what some experts have been saying all along: men are simple.
If you'd like to attract one, just make sure that you shower, keep your extremist opinions (if you have any, that is) to yourself, and show a little bit of adventure in life — and in the bedroom, of course.
Oh, and if you want to nab him for the long term, make sure that there's a romantic spark that goes well beyond just the physical attraction, as three-quarters of men seem to agree that he would walk away without it.
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Kait Smith is an editor, writer, social media manager, and blogger who writes about the rules of love and relationships.