Latest news with #attractiveness
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Bad news for manly men! Women prefer blokes with more FEMININE faces, study finds
With chiselled jaws and bulging muscles, Hollywood's ultra-masculine heartthrobs are often held up as the ideal of male attractiveness. But it's bad news for macho stars like Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa, as science suggests women prefer blokes with more feminine faces. In a test of over 1,500 participants from Japan and the UK, researchers discovered no preference for men with more masculine features. Despite some research suggesting otherwise, participants across the board had a general preference for more feminine features in both men and women. Lead researcher Dr Thora Bjornsdottir, of the University of Stirling, told MailOnline: 'We were somewhat surprised that we didn't find that any group preferred masculinity in men's faces.' Strikingly, this preference was consistent across genders, sexualities, and ethnicities - with only the degree of preference changing between groups. For example, among heterosexual women in the UK, being younger was associated with greater levels of preference for feminine features in men. This might help explain the popularity of less traditionally masculine stars such as Tom Holland, Timothée Chalamet and Harry Styles who have widespread popularity with young fans. While it might seem odd for scientists to investigate attractiveness, research shows that this factor has a big impact on people's lives. This is referred to as the 'halo effect', a phenomenon which means more attractive people are also seen more positively in other ways, such as being friendlier or more successful. The same is also true of someone's perceived masculinity or femininity. For example, a recent study from researchers at Princeton University found that men with masculine features like a square jaw were considered to be better at their jobs than others. However, there isn't a great deal of rigorous research into the connection between these two categories. Likewise, what research has been conducted generally focuses on white heterosexual individuals from Western countries. To address this, Dr Bjornsdottir and her colleagues recruited heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual participants who were either White British or East Asian Japanese. The participants were asked to complete two tasks designed to test their preferences towards masculine or feminine features. Traditionally, men with more masculine features such as Chris Hemsworth (left) or Jason Momoa (right) have been thought to be more attractive. But new evidence shows this isn't the case Men who like MEAT are more likely to bag a date In a recent study, scientists found that being a vegetarian makes both women and men less attractive as potential partners. Male vegetarians are also viewed as less masculine, according to the researchers. 'Women who reject traditional masculinity based on strength and dominance may perceive male vegetarians differently than those who embrace traditional masculinity,' they said. 'This, in turn, may explain why for some women a vegetarian man is "not a real man".' In the first task, the participants were shown two images of the same face that had been digitally altered to be more masculine or feminine and asked to choose which they preferred. In the second, the participants were given an image and asked to use a slider to adjust the levels of masculinity or femininity until they deemed it most attractive. Overall, participants from all backgrounds tended to choose the more feminine faces in the first task and were more inclined towards feminine features in the second. This result came as a surprise given that both conventional wisdom and some previous research suggest that some groups prefer more masculine men. Dr Bjornsdottir says: 'It's important to note that some heterosexual women prefer masculine men's faces, but as a group on average they didn't prefer either masculinity or femininity in our study.' However, there was evidence of cultural impacts on participants' preferences. Male and female Japanese participants showed a stronger preference for feminine facial features than their British counterparts, particularly in male faces. The researchers also found that white women's faces were judged more attractive when made increasingly feminine than East Asian women's faces. By contrast, East Asian men were considered more attractive when feminised than white men. The researchers suggest this shows that that preference for male or female features was not an absolute preference, but one informed by a number of other factors. Dr Bjornsdottir says these preferences might be due to the judgements that we all subconsciously make about people based on their faces. She says: 'People aren't just perceiving attractiveness when they look at faces; they're also making inferences about what that person is like, what their personality might be. 'For example, there is research indicating that people assume that men with more feminine faces will be better caregivers and that men with more masculine faces will be more dominant but less reliable, even though this isn't necessarily the case.' Additionally, this study was the first time that the masculinity or femininity preferences of bisexual participants have been measured. Notably, this showed that bisexual individuals had distinct patterns of preference which were not simply a midpoint between heterosexual and homosexual preferences. Bisexual men in both cultures preferred less femininity in women's faces compared with heterosexual men but had very similar preferences to their heterosexual counterparts when it came to judging men's faces. The graphs show the average preferences for female participants both from Japan (pink) and the UK (red). This shows that women of all sexualities have a slight preference for more feminine men and women Homosexual men on the other hand tended to prefer increased masculinity in both male and female faces. Bisexual women, meanwhile, showed different preferences based on their cultural backgrounds. British bisexual women had a greater preference for femininity in male faces and a greater preference for masculinity in female faces. However, their Japanese counterparts preferred less femininity in both male and female faces. Dr Bjornsdottir says: 'People often tend to think of sexuality in terms of a gay/straight binary, but this doesn't reflect reality. 'Very little is known about what bisexual people find attractive in others, and we wanted to address this.'
Washington Post
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Am I hot or not? People are asking ChatGPT for the harsh truth.
Ania Rucinski was feeling down on herself. She's fine-looking, she says, but friends are quick to imply that she doesn't measure up to her boyfriend — a 'godlike' hottie. Those same people would never tell her what she could do to look more attractive, she adds. So Rucinski, 32, turned to a unconventional source for the cold, hard truth: ChatGPT.
Forbes
24-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
6 Facial Features People Look At When Judging Attractiveness, According To New Research
What actually matters when our attractiveness is rated? According to new eye-tracking research, we ... More now have a definitive answer. Intuition might tell you that attraction is a quick, instinctive reaction. However, according to recent research from The Laryngoscope, it's anything but an instant impression — a fact that our eyes can confirm in real time. By means of state-of-the-art eye-tracking technology, the December 2024 study uncovered the exact facial regions individuals tend to focus on when deciding how attractive someone is. In turn, the researchers were able to determine how those patterns changed depending on who's looking. Rather than showing participants digitally altered or highly stylized faces, the Mayo Clinic and Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine researchers used high-resolution photographs of real people from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds; they had neutral expressions and no visible cosmetic enhancements. As participants viewed each image, the eye-tracking system recorded precisely how long they looked at different facial regions, like the eyes, nose, mouth, hair, jawline, forehead and neck. Each face was shown for a mere ten seconds. With the study's novel findings, we now know which features consistently draw our attention, as well as how those preferences vary by gender. Here's the six ways they were found to influence attractiveness ratings. The participants unanimously tended to spend the most time looking at the region often referred to as the 'central triangle' of the face: the eyes, nose and mouth. Since this area has long been considered crucial in social perception, participants likely focused their gaze on this region to gain clues on emotional expression, identity and intent. In fact, even the participants who weren't told to evaluate attractiveness were naturally fixated on the central triangle. Likely, this suggests that our focus on this region isn't necessarily a conscious choice — it's simply the first place the brain starts when processing faces. Overall, this suggests that humans are inclined to concentrate most on the regions that carry information that is socially and biologically relevant to them. Regardless of whether or not we're examining beauty, emotional cues or even trustworthiness, this region seems to be fundamental to how we form first impressions. When participants were specifically asked to judge attractiveness, their eye movements revealed far more intentional, consistent patterns. Compared to the free-gazing participants, the attractiveness-rating participants spent considerably more time scanning the mouth, nose and cheeks. Likely, focus on these areas serves to evaluate symmetry, skin quality and youthfulness. Symmetry, in particular, is known to play an important role when evaluating whether someone has 'good genes,' according to research from Evolution and Human Behavior. In all likelihood, this specific finding suggests that our gaze becomes highly strategized when we're consciously evaluating someone's looks. We're not just absorbing the overall impression — we're analyzing. These regions offer us inferential clues about others' health or genetic fitness, which ample evolutionary theories suggest are drivers of physical attraction. It's worth noting that participants judging attractiveness didn't simply 'look around' faces any more or less so than others. Rather, they looked differently; they directed their focus to facial regions that seemed to matter more for the task at hand. One of the most clear-cut gendered differences emerged when researchers examined how male participants judged female faces. Specifically, men spent significantly more time staring at the mouth. In turn, prolonged attention to the mouth was associated with much higher attractiveness ratings. From a psychological perspective, this finding aligns with previous research. A 2023 study from Personality and Individual Differences demonstrates that men tend to emphasize features associated with youth and fertility when evaluating women's attractiveness. In this sense, the fullness of the lips or smoothness of the skin that surrounds them may be what draws their attention — given their integral role in facial expressiveness and sexual signaling. While men honed in on the mouth, women focused much more attentively on men's eyes and hair. Similarly, prolonged attention to both of these features contributed to higher attractiveness ratings. Classic research from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests that women consider the eyes when rating attractiveness, largely in order to assess sociability and approachableness. This is highly plausible, given that they're very often considered as 'windows to the soul.' Hair, on the other hand, might signal grooming habits and attention to self-care, whereas the hairline itself could be considered a measure of vitality. Together, these two features could offer cues about a person's personality, social status or health. For women, these psychological and social factors play a major evolutionary role in the assessment of a potential partner's attractiveness. Overall, the study found that the longer participants spent looking at the mouth, hair and central triangle, the higher associated their given attractiveness ratings were — regardless of the participant's gender. Throughout the study, it became evident that these features played a central role in participants' formation of positive first impressions. This is most likely due to the fact that they may provide insight that other facial regions can't. Hair reflects grooming, the mouth signals health and vitality and the central triangle is a strong indicator of symmetry. All of these factors seem to be appealing across different observers. This isn't to say that attractive people simply have 'good features.' Rather, it likely means that when we consider someone attractive, these features tend to naturally draw our attention; they naturally stand out during our evaluations. (Sidebar: While facial features can play a large role in how attractiveness is evaluated, they certainly aren't the only features people consider. See here to learn about non-physical signals of attractiveness.) Most interestingly, the study notes that not all visual attention is associated with attractiveness. More specifically, individuals whose faces drew more attention to the forehead or neck received significantly lower attractiveness ratings. The authors of the study suggest that these areas could be perceived as visual distractions, particularly if they're prominent. That is, when our gaze moves away from the central triangle and starts to linger on eye-catching features that are less informative or less symmetrical, it may reflect that something 'feels off' — even if we can't articulate what that is. Do you spend a lot of time thinking about your facial features or appearance? Take this science-backed test to learn how your body image may be affecting your mental health: Body Image Questionnaire
The Sun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I decided to let my moustache & pits grow out for summer, I know men think I'm hot but cruel trolls call me ‘Tarzan'
WHILE many of us are concerned about getting rid of body hair during the warmer months, one woman has defied the social norm. Claudia Dulievre decided to grow out her body hair and even her moustache for summer. 2 2 Taking to social media, the young woman revealed she had spent almost two weeks to grow out her moustache and was pretty proud of it. Claudia also noted that her new facial hair made her even more attractive to men. She said: "Day 13 of growing facial hair and only now I realise that the reason why guys are hating on me that much It's because they still find me attractive." In the short clip, Claudia wore a tight black vest and lifted her hair out of her face to show off her body hair, including her armpits. Claudia then got up close and personal with the camera to show off the thick, dark hair coming from her upper lip. "Don't be scared of my femininity," she added. In another clip, Claudia said she had been waxing her moustache for 15 years and had grown tired of it. Now, she wanted to see what she looked like in her 'natural state.' Most of us realise that women can do whatever they want with their body - whether it's getting rid of body hair or keeping it, as long s they feel comfortable. But it seems there is still a small group of people who can't understand it, and Claudia's comment section proved it. Trolls call me a 'gorilla' & say I'll die alone all because I don't shave my armpits - I love it though and so does my boyfriend The video soon went viral on her TikTok account @ cdulievre with over 2.4 million views and 60k likes. Despite Claudia loving her new hairy look, many claimed she looked like Tarzan and needed to shave. One person wrote: "Keep lying to yourself." Another commented: 'Shave it off, Tarzan." The 5 Best Body Positive Influencers To Follow @ _nelly_london - Nelly has been on a journey with breast corrective surgery and has also shared her experience with eating disorders, her honesty and openness makes her a great follow. @ lottiedryna - She regularly shares content on living with IBS and finds bloat-friendly outfits to share with her followers. @ stephanieyeboah - Stephanie Yeboah's body positive content has the most incredible message - everyone is worthy of being loved, plus she has the best fashion inspo going. @ isabelladavis6 - Bella's content spans more than just body image and is ideal for women wanting a community of women supporting women. @ jessontheplussize - She advocates for women wearing what they want no matter their body shape. "Girl what the absolute helly," penned a third. Meanwhile a fourth said: "Why do you do this to yourself? You would be perfectly pretty if you would shave." "I support this all the way,' claimed a fifth.
Daily Mail
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Women really DO love a bad boy: Men with psychopathic traits are rated as more attractive, study finds
From Christian Bale in American Psycho to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, psychopaths in films are often played by very handsome actors. And according to a new study, this is no coincidence. Researchers from Hunan Normal University have revealed that men with psychopathic traits are rated by women as more attractive. In their study, the researchers showed over 500 women photos of men with varying degrees of Dark Triad traits - narcissism, machiavellianism, and psychopathy. The women were asked to rate the men for attractiveness and trustworthiness. The results revealed that men with high Dark Triad traits were seen as both more trustworthy and more attractive. 'In short-term cooperative settings, individuals with high Dark Triad traits tend to inspire more trust,' said study author, Dr Qi Wu. '[This is] partly due to being seen as more attractive based on their facial features.' Psychopathy has been widely studied for decades. For example, previous studies have uncovered a link between the condition and eye-gaze, sadism, and being single. However, until now, the link between psychopathy and trustworthiness has remained largely unstudied. To address this research gap, the team enlisted 592 participants, who were split across four studies. In the first study, participants were shown neutral facial photos of men with varying levels of Dark Triad traits, and asked to rate them for trustworthiness. The second study was a trust game, while the third centred on another facial evluation taks - this time requiring participants to rate the men for dominance, extraversion, and attractiveness. Finally, the fourth study repeated tasks from the second and third studies, involving different participants. The results revealed that, across all four studies, men with high Dark Triad traits were rated as more trustworthy. Surprisingly, traits like dominance and extraversion did not play a big role in this effect. 'Notably, their faces still prompt greater trust even when other traits like dominance, extraversion, and attractiveness are accounted for, suggesting facial features have a unique influence on how trustworthy people are perceived,' Dr Wu added. The study comes shortly after scientists found a link between psychopathy and 'sadism' – deriving pleasure from inflicting pain, suffering or humiliation on others. Everyday examples of sadism include trolling people online, killing video game characters, killing bugs and even sticking pins on voodoo dolls. So if you engage in these sadistic behaviours – even if it's just making other people feel embarrassed online – you could be a psychopath. WOULD YOU KNOW HOW TO SPOT A PSYCHOPATH? Psychopaths display different traits depending on their disorder. Common signs include superficial charm, a grandiose notion of self-worth, the need for stimulation and impulsiveness, pathological lying, the ability to manipulate others and a lack of remorse and empathy. But despite the popular association, not all psychopaths become killers. Experts claim people usually find psychopaths intriguing, but can't put their finger on why. This is down to incongruous behaviour because psychopaths tend to do a lot of acting to deceive, or mimic normal reactions, sometimes changing their views and reactions quickly. For example, Self-professed psychopath Jacob Wells said that upon meeting someone, he tries to become 'the most interesting person they know' and presumably adopts suitable interests and responses to do this. His response also gives away another common trait - a grandiose notion of self-worth - in that he can be the most interesting person in the room. Psychopaths occasionally tend to exhibit unconvincing emotional responses, with slip-ups including tone of voice or body language. This may be because they are unable to understand emotions such as fear and love, but can mimic them. Generally psychopaths' 'emotions' are shallow and short-lived and there is a manipulative ulterior motive to showing them. For example, Mr Wells said he offers to do favours and tells false secrets to people to gain their complete trust. He also displays insincere charm - another trait associated with psychopaths. He says: 'I keep secrets, and tell them fake secrets to further gain their trust, and once they trust me enough, I ask for favours, reminding them of the favours I did them. I can get literally anything from them, which is incredibly useful.' Psychopaths typically display an incredible ability to manipulate others and sometimes take pleasure in doing so. Psychopaths often have an air of superiority about them, perhaps shown by Mr Wells' belief he can spot other psychopaths
