Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Men can appear more attractive to women with these science-backed methods

Owning a dog also helps 

Chelsea Ritschel
in New York
Tuesday 21 August 2018 18:08 BST
Comments
How to appear more attractive to women (Getty)
How to appear more attractive to women (Getty)

Finding a life partner can be difficult as it is about finding someone who loves you for you and accepts your flaws.

Fortunately, science can make the process easier for men looking to appear more attractive to the opposite sex.

Although there is no definitive answer to what makes someone attractive, as it varies by person, researchers interested in the topic of attraction have found there are certain factors that make men more appealing to women - and they are quite simple.

These are some science-backed methods of increasing your odds in the dating field, according to Business Insider.

Wear red

Red stands out in a crowd - and also in the minds of women, according to a 2010 study which found that women are most attracted to men wearing the bright colour.

By analysing participants from China, England, Germany, and the US, researchers found female undergrads rated photographs of men wearing red shirts significantly higher in attractiveness in comparison to the same men in a green shirt.

Dating experts have also claimed that the opposite is true - that females are also more attractive when dressed in red.

Present yourself as high status

It may be slightly unsurprising, but appearing well to do often coincides with a higher attractiveness rating.

In 2010, a study from the University of Wales Institute found men pictured with a silver Bentley Continental GT were perceived as more attractive than those with a red Ford Fiesta.

Cars aside, a different study from Cardiff Metropolitan University found that men with luxury apartments were also considered more attractive by women.

Play extreme sports

Athleticism is always an admirable trait and apparently it becomes even more so when there is a little danger involved.

Showing remnants of our ancestor's preferences, researchers from the University of Alaska at Anchorage found that women are attracted to men who take “hunter-gatherer risks.”

The current day variations don't include hunting for buffalo - instead, sports such as mountain biking, deep-sea scuba diving, and extreme rollerblading are all high-adrenaline enough to warrant a higher attractiveness rating.

Show off any scars

When engaging in extreme sports, the chance of injuring yourself is slightly higher - but men shouldn’t worry about roughing themselves up, as women are attracted to scars, according to science.

A 2009 study from the University of Liverpool and University of Stirling found that digitally manipulated images of men with facial scars were ranked as more attractive.

However, the bad boy persona isn’t necessarily a trait women look for in a long-term relationship - researchers found the scars were only found to be more attractive on men on the basis of a short-term relationship.

Grow a beard

Facial hair is also a fool-proof method of increasing attention from the opposite sex, as it has been revealed women are partial to heavy stubble.

The findings come from a 2013 study where researchers analysed four facial hair conditions: clean-shaven, light stubble, heavy stubble, or full beard and found that heavy stubble was the most attractive.

According to the authors, the reason heavy stubble beats out a clean-shaven face is because: “Facial hair correlates not only with maturity and masculinity, but also with dominance and aggression.

Build some muscle

Women prefer strong-looking men, according to multiple studies and recently confirmed by researchers at Griffith University in Queensland.

Experiments found that women almost always preferred men who looked physically strong as opposed to weak-looking.

According to the researchers, this is also likely reminiscent of the survival instincts of our ancestors, as they concluded that women choose men based on “ancestral cues of a man’s fighting ability.”

Make your partner laugh

Most importantly, a relationship should also be a friendship - which means being able to make your significant other laugh.

Multiple studies have concluded that women are attracted to men who can make them laugh, which can be a bonus if you don’t have an interest in taking up scuba diving or cannot grow a beard.

While love is blind, dating can be a different story - so relying on scientific methods of appearing more attractive can be a good place to start.

Look for someone similarly attractive

Although appearance isn’t everything, and it certainly isn’t the most important factor in a romantic connection, scientists have found that people tend to seek out mates who are similar in attractiveness.

As Nottingham Trent University psychologist Mark Sergeant told The Independent: “If you go for someone roughly equal to you in attractiveness, it avoids two things. If they are much better-looking than you, you are worried about them going off and having affairs. If they are much less attractive, you are worried that you could do better.”

The hypothesis was backed up by a study conducted by researchers at the University of California at Berkeley, who found online dating site users are most likely to receive a response from people of equal attractiveness.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in