Is that person hot? Men agree, women don’t

In a new study addressing what attributes makes men and women attractive, men were found to agree a lot more while women, however, couldn’t agree.

In the study, researchers first rated photographs of men and women, aged 18 to 25, for common characteristics. These factors were used to determine what appealed most to women and men, and included the following: How seductive, confident, thin, sensitive, stylish, curvaceous (women), muscular (men), traditional, masculine/feminine, classy, well-groomed or upbeat the people looked. Researchers then used the photographs to test over 4,000 participants between the ages of 8 and 70. In assessing attractiveness, a 10-point scale was used, with 1 equal to “not at all” and 10 being “very.” At the end of the study, participants were told what characteristics they found attractive compared with the average person. Wood states:

Men agree a lot more about who they find attractive and unattractive than women agree about who they find attractive and unattractive. This study shows we can quantify the extent to which men agree about which women are attractive and vice versa.

Men were found to rate female photographs highly if she looked thin or seductive. Most of the men also rated female photographs highly if she looked confident. On a whole, women showed some preference for thin, muscular subjects, but disagreed on how attractive many men in the study were. Also, older participants were more likely to find smiling people attractive. Wood adds:

The study helps explain why women experience stronger norms than men to obtain or maintain certain physical characteristics. Women who are trying to impress men are likely to be found much more attractive if they meet certain physical standards, and much less if they don't. Although men are rated as more attractive by women when they meet these physical appearance standards too, their overall judged attractiveness isn't as tightly linked to their physical features.

The study by psychologist Dustin Wood, Wake Forest University, and Claudia Brumbaugh, Queens College is in the June issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.