Broad shoulders, bulging biceps and a chiselled, V-shaped physique all make the list – but there’s another, surprising, way to catch the female eye.
A new study published in Evolution and Human Behaviour Journal found women are most attracted to a certain type of guy: one who looks like their (the woman’s) brother.
Strangers were asked to rank the similarity of men (including male partners and the women’s brothers) in photos, and the results showed “clear evidence for perceptual similarity in facial photographs of a woman’s partner and her brother”.
Uh, what? Women prefer to get it on with guys who look like their own flesh and blood? Apparently, but it turns out there’s a somewhat scientific explanation for what’s happening here.
Related: The Very First Thing Women Notice When Checking Out a Guy
The researchers believe women are more likely to seek out men who look similar to their brothers because “familiarity is attractive”.
Lead researcher Tasmin Saxton told The Independent these results didn’t apply to every woman, but there was certainly a trend.
“Our findings are not a rule or true of every woman, but we do find that, at levels greater than chance, partners do show some subtle resemblance to the women’s brothers,” said Saxton.
