Muscles are indicators of health and fitness. They found that overall, men and women think bigger muscles are more attractive than smaller ones.
Muscularity is sexy.
Tests of the Fitness Indicator Hypothesis,” researchers Martie Haselton and David Frederick asked 141 women to rate different male body types. In a separate study, women reported that their short-term sexual partners were more muscular than their other partners.
Women prefer a man to be toned, but not brawny and bulked out to the max. You want a solid chest; not man boobs or muscle boobs that rival our own, just chiseled pecs.
They found that women were most attracted to muscles that are harder to develop, primarily the abs and biceps. Interestingly, the muscles women found most attractive were, in this order: glutes, biceps, abs, pecs, shoulders, obliques, triceps, and quads.
Their study, published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, suggests muscles in men are akin to elaborate tail feathers in male peacocks: They attract females looking for a virile mate. “Women are predisposed to prefer muscularity in men,” said study author David Frederick of UCLA.
Researchers suggest, "women prefer muscles that are hard to build to be larger than muscles that are easier to build." Interestingly, men's ratings of size preferences were larger than women's. In other words, men thought bigger muscles were better, while women didn't have quite the same preferences.
Most women prefer muscles on a man… or at least that's what the majority of the 1,088 women that we surveyed said. The athletic physique had the highest percentage of overall votes (44.3%), while the lean physique received the second highest percentage of votes (35.1%).
According to a 2017 study by online health provider Dr Felix, 24 percent of women found the chest to be the most attractive part of a man, and 13 percent opted for the stomach area, meaning that combined, the torso had more pulling power than any other appendage.
Muscularity is sexy.
In a separate study, women reported that their short-term sexual partners were more muscular than their other partners. The researchers suggest women have fewer requirements for muscular men.
Summary. Women tend to prefer men with fit, athletic bodies. These ideal male bodies are significantly leaner and stronger than average, but not as lean and strong as most men wish to be, and certainly not as muscular as most bodybuilders. Think of the bodies of soccer players, rugby players, and mixed martial artists.
Male-specific factors. Women, on average, tend to be more attracted to men who have a relatively narrow waist, a V-shaped torso, and broad shoulders. Women also tend to be more attracted to men who are taller than they are, and display a high degree of facial symmetry, as well as relatively masculine facial dimorphism.
Researchers at Griffith University in Queensland examined what factors most influenced female attraction to males and found that physical strength reigned supreme.
What women find attractive is great hygiene and appearance. A man's style and degree of personal care is a huge part of what makes a guy attractive to a woman. Some women may prefer an artsy style more than a sporty style, but the important thing is that the man has a style more than which style he chooses to wear.
Good news, guys! Over 75% of women prefer FLAB to abs: Sex therapist Tracey Cox explains why women DON'T want chiselled perfection in their bed.
A wide back is essential for a V-shaped torso, and women's attraction to it is ancestral. "When it was important that our mates protect us from woolly mammoths on the plains, we looked for a gene pool that could provide us with protection," says Pega Ren, Ed. D., a sexologist in British Columbia.
Feet are considered the least attractive part of the body
It's not a surprise a survey found it to be considered the least attractive part of the body... Footsies might be all fun and games at the dinner table, but bare toes might be a deal-breaker in the bedroom.
The research, published this week in Royal Society journal Proceedings B, had 160 women rate faceless images of male bodies. Unanimously, the women chose those that appeared physically stronger, with bigger pecs and larger arms.
The theory was that women like athletes because women want to be involved with healthy men. Athletes also show motivation, strength, determination, and teamwork. Also, because of the “halo effect,” men who prove themselves in sports are assumed to be more competent and have better qualities in other areas as well.
It says that women are most attracted to male faces that combine the best elements of both these extremes--the large eyes and medium-to-small nose of the baby's face with the strong jaw and wide cheekbones of the mature man's face.
When a man is honest and trustworthy, he instantly becomes more appealing and desirable to a woman. If he's dependable, truthful, genuine, and speaks from the heart, he's a guy who is worth pursuing, as people can take him at his word. "Trust and trustworthiness allow relationships to deepen," says Degges-White.