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Research reveals the psychological reasons guys are so drawn these features.
By Erica Gordon
Written on Dec 08, 2023
It turns out there’s a scientific formula to explain the specific physical traits men find most attractive in women.
Men are designed by nature for evolutionary reasons to look for features that are associated with fertility, youth, and good health in women.
This reproductive fitness assessment happens for men without them even knowing it. Subconsciously, a man will be more attracted to a woman whose physical traits present her as being reproductively fit, as men and women alike are wired to seek a mate they can make healthy babies with.
Media and advertising still set unrealistic standards of beauty, causing intelligent women with full-time careers to feel pressured to look like a photoshopped celebrity. They feel they must spend their hard-earned income on personal trainers, lip injections and hair extensions in order to be considered attractive.
Forget about all of that, ladies, because what the male brain is designed to find attractive is probably than you think.
Below are 6 physical traits men find most attractive in women, according to research.
1. Large eyes.
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Research shows that men find larger eyes to be more appealing and more attractive. Men equate bigger eyes with femininity, health, youth, and fertility.
Larger eyes are also a sign that the woman has higher levels of estrogen, which would make them more reproductively fit. This is because the female hormone estrogen prevents facial bone growth, which causes eyes to be larger and more prominent in a female’s face.
Eye contact is also an extremely powerful component of human attraction. Our pupils will dilate when we’re interested in someone, and dilated pupils are therefore found attractive because we’re generally more attracted to those who are mutually attracted to us.
A lot can be said with the eyes, and a certain look in someone’s eyes can set off a man’s endorphins.
2. White teeth and a big smile.
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Your beautiful white teeth are a sign of health and good genetics. Some people even associate white teeth with being of a higher status, which is deemed more attractive. Poverty, illness, and disease can all cause yellow teeth, and none of those qualities are attractive.
Luckily, those of us with yellow teeth can easily whiten them by booking an appointment for professional teeth whitening with a reputable company. Whitening your teeth will lead to you smiling more, and a smile is another incredibly attractive quality. A woman’s smile sends a man cues that she is agreeable in nature, positive and approachable. However, a beautiful smile without the matching beautiful teeth won’t have the same effect.
A study done by the people at Match Group showed that the most important trait people look for on a first date is teeth. Out of the 5,500 single adults over 21, 60% of men and 71% of women claimed they care most about teeth for a potential date. Other studies have even suggested a nice smile can lead to success in other areas, like your career.
3. The curvature of your spine.
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Your spinal curve contributes to the appealing look of a big, round bottom.
Researchers at Turkey’s Bilkent University showed 300 men photos of female silhouettes with different degrees of spine curvature and asked the men to select the women they found most attractive. The majority of the men were most attracted to the women with a curvature of 45.5 degrees, because it accentuated their posterior, making it appear bigger.
4. A waist-to-hip ratio of .67 to .80.
One of the more well-known physical attributes men prefer in females is wide hips, but it’s not quite that simple.
Dr. Devendra Singh of the University of Texas at Austin found that men specifically prefer a waist to hip ratio of .67 to .80, as it appears to be ideal for childbearing, as well an indicator of good health.
A lower ratio may signal that a woman isn't suited for childbirth, while a higher ratio could suggest fertility issues related to being overweight.
5. Glowing skin.
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Smooth, glowing skin is a sign of youth, health, and good life choices. A woman with good skin appears to maintains a healthy diet and unlikely to abuse substances.
In fact, good skin is one of the few instant indicators of good health a man will notice when he’s giving you a once-over. That in itself is an attractive quality, but there’s also the added attraction that radiant skin is a sign of fertility.
6. Thick, healthy hair.
Thick hair is associated with health, youth, and vitality. Hair will thin out when you age or when you lack nutritional health.
Long, thick and healthy hair is seriously attractive to most men, who are likely to associate your luscious locks with fertility, beauty, and femininity.
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Anita Young loves writing about women’s empowerment and personal growth for women in tech. While not working, she’s an avid hiker and animal rights advocate.
This article was originally published at The Babe Report. Reprinted with permission from the author.