Overall, though, the bodies that women find most attractive are similar to the bodies that men want to have, even down to the muscle proportions that men tend to emphasize in the gym: arms, chest, shoulders, and abs.
Women stated that their favorite part of the male physique was their chest at 24%. This was closely followed by hair 22% and arms at 19%. For the ab crowd, 13% prefer defined upper abs and 9% prefer the v-cut. Eyes, face, and legs came in at 3%, 2%, and 1%, respectively.
Muscles are indicators of health and fitness.
They found that overall, men and women think bigger muscles are more attractive than smaller ones.
Muscles attract attention.
Both women and men take greater notice of men who look strong. Researchers have found that, with all else equal, people spend more time looking at individuals who look more formidable (strong, able to impose physical costs).
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.
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%).
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.
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.
The stereotypically attractive female body shape is an hourglass figure, which includes wide hips, a narrow waist, and broad shoulders.
Symmetry: people whose faces are more symmetrical are generally considered more attractive. Averageness: faces that resemble others in the population tend to appear more attractive. Apparent health: people who look healthy, because of their skin and overall appearance are considered to have more attractive faces.
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.
Being a gentleman can attract women. Flowers or chocolates for your date can go a long way and help make you more attractive to them. A man who has integrity is willing, to tell the truth regardless of the situation and is honest even in difficult situations is very physically attractive to many individuals.
Apologies to all men who do not look like they've been cut from marble – it turns out that women are most attracted to men who look strong, with muscular arms, and toned torsos, preferring these bodies to those that look slimmer and weaker. Shocking, huh?
They found that overall, men and women think bigger muscles are more attractive than smaller ones.
New research out of UCLA confirms: Women are attracted to muscular guys. A series of six studies found that muscular guys are catnip to women looking for fun, and they have twice as many partners as average Joes and weaklings.
Researchers at Griffith University in Queensland examined what factors most influenced female attraction to males and found that physical strength reigned supreme.
Ideal male chest size: waist circumference + 12 inches = 41.5 inches. Ideal hip size: waist circumference × 1.25 = 36.8 inches. Ideal thigh size: waist circumference × 0.75 = 22.2 inches. Ideal shoulder size: waist circumference × 1.618 = 47.7 inches.
That being said, men (and women) that work out tend to be more sexually satisfying because they can thrust harder, last longer, and have an athletic ability that unfit people do not have. So I would say that a muscular and athletic person has a better chance of being great at sex.
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.
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.