Are Muscular Men More Attractive?
Muscles. Hot or not?
UCLA professor David Frederick and colleagues have asked: Why is Muscularity Sexy? Conclusion:
[...] these studies suggest that men’s physical features are related not only to women’s expressed preferences for mates but also to men’s and women’s past mate choices and sex behaviors.
NOTE: Despite the many media reports - we need to understand that the subjects of the study were male and female undergraduates (aged 18-25) living in California, USA. Extrapolating that to all men and women everywhere is foolish.
One of the studies interviewed 99 male undergraduates about their sexual histories, and, to be honest - can you really believe they didn't "talk up" their exploits?
This fascinating paper actually includes 6 studies and is difficult to summarize. Here I will focus on just one of the studies:
- 141 college women aged around 20 looked at 6 computer generated images of men (created with MyVirtualModel.com).
- Note that only the images were shown to the women - not the labels (e.g. brawny, slender, etc).
- The women rated the images against four factors: sexual desirability, commitment, physical dominance (over other males), and volatility (e.g. bad temper).
Okay, deep-breath guys...
- Attractiveness, sexual desirability? The built and toned guys came tops. The chubby guy was bottom of the heap. Brawny guy still desirable but not as much as built and toned guy.
- Physical Dominance? Brawny and built were tops, the slender guy bottom.
- Commitment? Chubby guy voted the best, brawny and built the worst.
- Volatility? Slender guy the least volatile, with brawny and built the most volatile.
The heads were deleted (by the study authors) to remove any ethnic or racial clue.
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I'm voting...
Brawny
Chubby
Built
Typical - Toned (tied)
Slender
but I've never liked skinny guys, and am almost always more attracted to those I think are more physically dominant. I like guys that look like they could protect me. And I'm pretty strong on my own :D
Replybuilt
brawny
toned
typical
slender
chubby
I prefer guys who are more similar to my build. The aim is not to protect me, but for us to conquer the world - together!
ReplyWomen are so shallow :-)
Replyyea i know its like.. they love muscular dumb guys, but when it comes to a slim smart guy the dont like it! they are all about image some of them!
ReplyHey, don't stereotype! I'm extremely built and have an above average I.Q. Not like either helps me understand women. lol
ReplyThe fact that a guy is built does not necessarily mean that he's stupid and the fact that a guy is slender does not necessarily mean that he's smart. Besides research has shown that men are more into the physical attractiveness the opposite sex than women are so if we say that women are shallow then what can we say about ourselves?
ReplyI do not think so, that women are shallow
Replyno, humans in general are shallow, not just women.
ReplyHmm, I guess things get a bit more complicated with men who like female bodybuilders. Maybe they should look into that, too.
ReplySlender
Toned
Typical
Aannd the rest are knocking around there somewhere.
The slender guy in this example isn't even as slim as the one I'm with currently o.O
ReplyI just don't seem to be attracted to more muscular guys. It's not that I go out of my way to date slim ones, it's just that's how it winds up.
Slender is my top, I like tall and gangly guys. Muscle is not a turn on for me at all. And personality out weighs it all.
ReplyIt makes me sad that stereotypically built guys are consider volatile. A lot of the built guys I know are big teddy bears... And a lot of the chubby guys I know are huge commitment-phobics!
ReplyWhat I know is that most women prefer a man who is larger than they are, and vice versa for men's preferences.
Which is why, at the gym, women typically want to become smaller and men want to get bigger. And I would rather be chubby than slender.
ReplyThis is interesting, but it seems a little circular. If you take only pictures of bodies rather than actual people, and ask what these people might be like based on these pictures (sexy, loyal, angry or whatever), then people are just going to respond with the cultural stereotypes they've been taught. What else are they given to go on? And they probably want to seem "right" or "normal" in their responses.
I could easily see a woman who falls for slender musician types in real life responding, when just given just a picture, that brawny guys are sexier or more angry or dominant because they're "supposed" to be.
So I wouldn't worry too much, non-brawny guys. Not that there aren't some women who like muscles, but I don't know how much this would matter in finding a real life mate.
It's nice to see this study discussed here with a little critical thought and not just the attention grabbing headline you see most places.
ReplyI think this 'study' is not about finding 'Mr. Right" , but rather about finding "Mr. Right Now" :-)
ReplyBuilt
ReplyBrawny
Typical
Toned
Chubby
Slender
I like to exersize, and I'd like my mate to work out with me so here's my list
running-toned or slender
strength training-built or brawny
in Cleveland, the typical guy is chubby
I think its good to have shared interests and lifestyle. Must love Bowflex ;)
ReplyI love to work out every chane I get I have a weight machine,nordi-trac,Total -Gym etc
ReplyJust upon looking at the images provided, I would have to vote:
Toned
Built
Slender
Brawny
Typical
Chubby
But the history of men that I have dated has generally been Slender (including my husband) with some Toned and Typical.
But this does not really answer to personality - which is VERY important. Guy has to be funny and pleasant with a good work and family ethic. Though attractiveness is a factor (I would be lying otherwise), it just does not have the staying power that compatibility and personality bring.
ReplyI have considerably more muscle definition than my husband does. He was "typical" when we met, but now he's kind of morphed into "chubby", complete with love handles. He's definitely not a commitment-phobe. I wonder if chubby guys got voted high on commitment because women figure chubby guys won't be able to get another woman, so they stay with the one they've got. That's my husband's theory..."I've snagged a hot trophy wife, I don't have to work out anymore". I'm not saying I want him to be "built", but "toned" would be very nice.
ReplyMost Attractive
#1 slender
#2 toned
#3 typical
#4 built
#5 brawny
#6 chubby
I actually prefer skinny guys over muscular guys!
ReplyOf course, like most women, I fine chubby and overweight the least attractive!
I think women instinctively are more attracted to Built, Brawny, Toned because those body types imply a sense of security. Personality is important and will eventually trump inital reactions, but instincts are there for a reason.
ReplyI'm finding my own reactions to the pictures not quite what I expected. While my rankings would be pretty typical (built, toned, typical, chubby, brawny, slender), I did find myself attaching stereotypes to the pictures to make my decisions.
Brawny doesn't look volatile to me, but stupid. He's a gym rat. Thinking people have better and more interesting things to do than go to the gym constantly. (I'm NOT suggesting this is reality -- that's just the stereotype I attach). Thus, I agree that there may be that kind of bias in the study outcome.
Typically, women rank the importance of physical appearance much lower than other qualities when looking for a mate. Sure, all other things being equal, they have preferences, but all other things are never equal.
But all in all the pictures struck me as a rather narrow range of bodies to consider. I don't really see any substantial difference between toned and built, or typical and chubby.
ReplyBrawny doesn't necessarily mean more gym time, but it does mean commitment and achievement. Muscles = excellence. And the smart guy's training is quality, not quantity. Quality.
Also, muscles = health. Men are attracted, as well, to women who have a nice figure, aka better musculature, and are likewise healthy.
Who wants to raise a family with a spouse that is not a well-rounded individual, neglecting their body? Who wants to be partnered with the picture of weakness and laziness?
So put in your gym time, dammit, play a sport, do SOMETHING active, or - ladies - don't come talking to me. Look like you can support your own ass, like you have something to give, because - You know what? - You're not a princess and I'm not your daddy. Except in bed :)
Replytotally true.. built or brawny guys arent just gym rats.. they're ppl who think about their health and how it'd affect their life.. even if it's their interest to just build muscles.. but hey.. spending 1 to 2 hrs in a gym 2 or 3 times a week doesnt take all the time from the women right?
Replyi chose my husband in high school - he was brawny and still is. i love the security of being with a man who can lift a car into the parking spot (yup - he did that in high school a few times:)) - or carry me if we were in an emergency - or now that we have six children, can he carry a child in a backpack and lunch for eight :).. Brawny means he's a man! He can do man things! He thinks women choose men who are opposite to them on the spectrum - i'm a small, smaller build woman, so maybe that's why... He figures women who are closer to the middle of the spectrum like men who are also closer to the middle (thus the large number of androgynous looking couples). I don't want a man with longer hair than me :) and i don't want a man with less muscles than me.
ReplyBased on the pictures my votes are:
1)Slender and Toned
2)Typial and Chubby
3)Built and Brawny
My husband is slender, but wishes he was more toned. Most of the guys I dated fit into 1 or 2. Never was attracted to 3, but that has to do with my opinion that very muscular men tend to live in the gym, thus not having enough time to spend with me, and I myself am not now nor ever will be a "gym rat". So because of selfish reasons I stayed away from that body type.
ReplyPresumably some of the women commenting here are older than college age... So we're already bringing more diverse points-of-view into this "study".
And I think it's time for me to go bulk up a bit.
Hmmm. So what do you call a woman who does "man things". I leave all the heavy lifting to my wife.Reply
Ugh! My SO claims it's hard to have motivation to workout because he never liked it, his motivation was always more to attract women. When we met, was larger than average (so am I) but he mountain biked and hiked. Now, he does nothing and has gained 50 lb. Drives me batty! Don't care about the weight, but the lack of exercise annoys me endlessly. And I can't understand it, because I love working out-- no outside motivation... and he won't even hike with me anymore. :(
ReplyBoys are weird.
My husband and I do not fit into the "norm" either. I am taller than him. He asks for my help when he can't reach the items on the top shelf in our kitchen (My long arms help, too).
I must agree with many of these women to say that slender is not my type, either.
Brawny isn't really my type either, though. Typically (this might be a generalization, so pardon that, please), brawny men are harrier, too.
Harry= not good to me.
It's just too much.
Good thing we all have these different preferences!
ReplyHeather--my sentiments exactly. I love working out, not just to attract guys or look hot, but to improve my health. I wish my husband would get motivated enough to hike with me or bike with me, but he's in so much worse shape than me that a bike ride ends up with me being fine and him gasping for breath, swearing he'll never bike again. I think he needs to maybe start slower and build up to being able to keep up with me.
ReplyI must be a freak cause I don't really have a physical type. I've had boyfriends who were much bigger than me (think twice the chubby guy) and who were skinnier than the slender guy there and therefore smaller in build than me. Some were a foot taller than me, and I've dated a guy who was just 1" taller than me (I'm nearly 5'2"). And some had longer hair than mine. None of that bothers me. I can do "man things" and have short hair and still be feminine and a man can have long hair and enjoy cooking or whatever and he'll still be a man. I think the view mamazee expressed is so close-minded.
Me and my husband do carpentry together and then cook together.
ReplyI would believe the tone body would win but their is more to a person than their looks.
ReplyBeing buff displays good male genes, making girls find muscular guys more attractive. Since so many women find muscular guys attractive, they instinctively know that muscular guys are desirable by large amounts of women giving the muscular guys a wider array of options for sexual partners. In effect, this may make them less likely to stay with one girl for a long time.
ReplyOf course, that has much more to do with the man's experience of role-models as a youth, whether his parents were together and happy or whether "dad" never married mom, and was off sowing his oats like a half-retarded teenager. The illegitimate son might still end up like him, at least in that way.
And then there's society's malediction, advertising that a man should dream of studliness. Maybe biologically preferrable, for success of the genome, but the wannabe studs are wearing condoms anyways. Women are guilty of the same thing, when looking for the "bigger better deal". The whole thing is some throwback to our primate ancestors.
Other primates might be primarily biological creatures, be we are psychological creatures. The world's most succcessful man, Jesus Christ, has 2 billion children alive just today. Yet, in all likelihood, he never had a wife. The successful human male raises a family and his children's children's children will all grow up to be kind of like great granddad. Because he put in the time.
Nobody will remember Studly McLoser.
ReplyI have to go with Darwin and the whole survival of the fittest theory. I am very muscular male and consider myself to some what intelligent. I would like to find a woman who would have an athletically toned body and have intelligences. Basically pick of the litter should mate with other picks of the litter. But that is how is view this situation. So in this experiment i would have expected women to be more attracted to body either more like there own or one which were muscular and fit.
ReplyThe slender picture wasn't quite slender enough for this girl.
ReplyI can't believe anyone likes brawny.
But it's what's inside that counts. Just going by pictures, though,all these guys were too chubby for me.
A man looks nicest when he's almost skin and bones, but with enough muscle definition to have good posture and run fast. Most of my girlfriends who I've talked about this with feel the same way.
The people who initiated this study obviously don't know much about the human pyschic. The brawny guy is fat. Hell, they all have a lot of fat. If you removed several pounds of fat from the brawny guy, he'd look ripped. And damn good too! Right here, he has a lot of muscle. Just way too much fat. Way to ruin a study guys.
ReplyHere is my experience. I used to be a very skinny man. 5'7" and 120 lbs. I have never had a problem meeting women as I have always been very at ease speaking to and being around them. Now I am on the oppisite end of the spectrum. I am the same height but weigh 220 lbs. I am much larger than the brawny guy in the picture as I am a competitive bodybuilder. Since I have added the muscle attention from females far surpasses what it was when I was skinny, and it wasn't bad then. So in my personal experience most women are much more attracted to muscular men.
ReplyI find it funny when people say that muscular men spend all their time in the gym. I spend 7 hours a week there and that is it. 3 months out of the year when I am preparing for a competition that will rise to 10. Most people spend more time than that watching TV in two days. As far as the vein issue, most actual bodybuilders are artists using their bodies instead of clay to create a work of art. It has very little to do with vanity.
It amazes me that people scoff at this type of commitment but will work 60-80 hours a week to pay for materialistic BS. We live for a very short time and the things you own will mean nothing when you die, but your experiences will mean everything.
How did you get to 220!, Same height and only weigh 175 I am above average in physique, but would like to get to 195-200. Do agree that I have alotttt! of attention then when I weight 125! Any real tip (please) to increase, currently at a plateau. Please HELP!
ReplyI agree with your observation! When I was in my late teens early twenties- I was 5'7" 165lbs and ripped to the bone. Women said I was hot and they didnt want me to get any bigger. Nowadays- Im 36 and Im 215lbs- very ripped/ shredded and when Im at the beach women ALL notice me. My point is this- If you are built (well balanced) and not a steroid freak.. 95% of the women seem to love it. I get more attention now then when I was 21!! Only difference is more women seem to be afraid I'll cheat on them now then before. :(
ReplyI'll be blunt. Big muscular guys feel better in bed! There is nothing sexier than a powerful man who is also gentile and knows when and how to use his strength.
Replymy preferences are:
typical
toned
chubby
slender
built
brawny
I am not at all attracted to muscles, I just want a solid yet cuddly enough guy, not too muscular and not too skinny.
ReplyI'm now 31, but when I was in my twenties, I used to be attracted to skinny guys. Now that I've been lifting weights, though, and can even see the lines of my abdominal muscles, I must say that I am suddenly very attracted to muscular guys, maybe because I see them every day at the gym and am impressed by their ability to withstand great pain just to improve their bodies. I love watching their muscles while they lift weights! I agree with Veronica that built men are sexy because they exude power but can be sweet and gentle at their discretion, which is a huge turn-on. I also like men who have the discipline and self-respect to care about their health and fitness levels. Laziness is unattractive.
I definitely think that we are biologically programmed to want muscular men, yet I also agree with an earlier poster that such guys typically know that they can have any woman they want and are more likely to be unfaithful.
Physical attraction is mainly an initial thing, though. Last year, I dated a guy who gained quite a bit of weight while I was with him, and because he exuded sexiness in other ways, I didn't mind the weight-gain. After the first attraction to someone, I'm willing to forgive lapses in fitness. THAT is what makes people above animals--the fact that we can love someone enough not to care about what's superficial. In the beginning, though, when all I have to go on is what a guy looks like, I admit that this is my very stereotypical list of preferences, with # 1 being the most attractive:
1. Brawny
2. Built
3. Toned
4. Thin
5. Average
6. Chubby
I also agree with others on here that the built guy could lose a few pounds and have more definition in his muscles. I think these photos are computer-simulated from one model, though. If you look at each guy's stomach, there is a cross in it and a bit of hair, all of which look alike.
ReplyI never believe what a woman says when it comes to what she is attracted to. The reality is that women have no control over what attracts them to a man. When a man exhibits certain behaviors (nothing to do with physical traits), attraction is triggered in a woman, and the women has NO CONTROL.....that is until the man does something to mess it up (i.e. acting like a wussy). That's why you can see a beautiful woman with a not so good looking guy or even a butt ugly guy. It always makes me laugh to hear women list PHYSICAL traits that they want in a man. When a woman is attracted to a man who exhibits masculine and attractive BEHAVIOR, there is nothing the woman can do to not be attracted....she is attracted until the guy "messes up"
ReplyA bit late, I know, but I'll add to the voices that vote for the skinny man. But at least for me, that's entirely a visual thing. I tend to separate what I see from what attracts me to someone, as my boyfriend is anything but skinny; chubby, to be honest.
In a life partner or even a companion, appearance has never been of importance to me.
ReplyI think that the women are going by the idea of what is commonly thought of a body type. I am brawny but have never been talked about as aggressive. I have known lots of skinny guy who were very aggressive and even abussive.when a guy is small sometimes he feels the need to proove his manhood....so you get really aggresive skinny guys. Sorry if misspelled typing with thumbs.
ReplyI think this a really stupid study because it mainly just goes off of stereotypes. Why don't you study the habits of these actual men?!
Reply