What Men Want/ What Women Want: The Psychology of Attraction

Various researchers have attempted to determine what women and men find attractive in a person of the opposite sex. Most of these studies have refuted popular myths and stereotypes, and yielded a number of unexpected findings. The following articles explain some research findings for attraction that may surprise you.

Surprising Facts About Attraction

People Wearing Red Are More Attractive to the Opposite Sex (researchers have found that both men and women rate a person's attractiveness higher when the individual wears red clothing)

The Smell of Pumpkin Pie Is an Aphrodisiac (studies have shown that certain food scents may be sexier than perfumes and colognes)

What Women Find Attractive in Men Varies with Their Fertility (for several days each month, many women experience a shift in their preferred male type)

Men Are Attracted to Smiles, Women to Expressions of Pride and Shame (an explanation for the surprising findings of a recent University of British Columbia study)

Personality Traits Really Do Affect Perception of Appearance (research has shown that our perceptions of a person's facial features and body attractiveness actually change significantly based on what we know about his or her personality)

Danger and Adversity Alter What Men Find Attractive in Women (a series of intriguing studies have found that tough times make certain women more appealing to men)

Hungry Men Find Heavier Women More Attractive (a number of studies have found that financial adversity or a skipped meal shifts male preference toward bigger females)

Men and Women Want the Same Things in a Romantic Partner (despite popular stereotypes, studies show that men and women actually value the same traits in the opposite sex)

What Women Find Attractive in Men (various studies have yielded some unexpected findings regarding what women want in a man)

Men Like Smart Women (despite a persistent myth that men prefer women who are less intelligent, surveys and marriage statistics show that smart men want partners who are at least as smart as they are)

Do Opposites Attract? (a number of researchers have busted the opposites-attract myth)

For a full list of psychology articles, visit the main Psychology page.

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