Let’s cut right to the chase: It doesn’t matter if you look like a Greek god if you’re an asshole. While douchey men might be a woman’s go-to for a one-night stand, they’re not what women want in a lifelong partner (hey, researchers proved it), so this is in no way encouraging you to stop working on developing that sparkling personality and to just be a decent human being.
Now that that’s out of the way, there are some aspects of a man’s physique that catch a woman’s attention. After all, it doesn’t hurt to have an Adonis-like physique to go along with good listening skills, an inquisitive nature, and attention to detail. Think of yourself as a dinner plate—you might taste good (i.e. be polite and have a good personality) but if you look like crap very few diners are going to want to stick their fork into you. You eat with your eyes first.
Here’s a roundup—in no particular order—of the features women love on a guy; and not even just the body parts, but what specifically about men appeal to women. Some of these are obvious, while others might catch you off guard. Either way, all of these have been proven by science to be irresistible to women so get your notebook out now.
You can sculpt some in the gym, but others have already been fated by genetics (sorry). Either way, this will give you some insight on what females prefer. Hint: You’ll quickly find that women are not much different than men.
1 of 10
eclipse_images / Getty
Nice Set of Abs
In a (not-so-surprising) study conducted by Western Illinois University, women rated abs as the sexiest muscle on a man’s body, ThePostGame.com reports. It makes sense; your abdominals are front and center—well, if you’re not wearing clothes—so her eyes are inevitably drawn there at first-glance (other than your face, of course). Lucky for you, you can sculpt your abs; no such luck with changing your face. And to be fair, it’s not that women are completely shallow. Men with a large amount of abdominal fat have lower levels of testosterone, which translates to a lower sex drive and fertility, according to Gordon Patzer’s book “Looks: Why They Matter More Than You Ever Imagined.”
2 of 10
Wutthichai Luemuang / EyeEm / Getty
Generous Posterior
Women aren’t staring at the back of your head or the backs of your knees when you turn around. Surprise! Women like butts just as much (okay, maybe not as much) as men do, as evidenced by an AskMen poll. Of the 100 women surveyed, majority expressed their adoration for strong glutes; see, your girlfriend is paying attention when you watch football and baseball.Â
3 of 10
Per Bernal / M+F Magazine
Wide, Strong Shoulders
A woman’s sexual satisfaction is strongly linked to her partner’s attractiveness and shoulder breadth, a study from the University of Albany found. The takeaway for meek-shouldered men: hit the gym. Broad, well-defined shouldershave always been considered a sign of strength and masculinity; plus, men with a higher shoulder-to-hip ratio reported having sex at an early age and with more sexual partners, according to David Perett’s book In Your Face: The New Science of Human Attraction.
4 of 10
EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER / Getty
Ripped, Tapered Back
In a 2013 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, back broadness (remember that shoulder-to-hip ratio?), accounted for over 79 percent of the variability in a woman’s perceived attraction to a man. Having a wide V-shaped back even trumped a man’s height and endowment when it came to physical attractiveness.
5 of 10
MRBIG_PHOTOGRAPHY
Defined, Strong Arms
In a HerCampus.com survey of over 100 college women across the country, a majority ranked arms as the biggest turn on. Women feel it’s a sign that you take good care of your body and admitted they love to see a hint of a man’s biceps through his t-shirt or sweater. Strong arms signify a man’s ability to protect a woman—and, inadvertently, his ability to lift her up…
6 of 10
Christopher Kimmel / Getty
Chiseled Chest
As mentioned before in Perett’s book, In Your Face: The New Science of Human Attraction, women show a stronger attraction toward men with a figure consistent with the ideal hunting physique: strong shoulders, narrow waists, and broad chests and shoulders. Women prefer a man to be toned, but not brawny and bulked out to the max. You want a solid chest; not man boobs or muscle boobs that rival our own, just chiseled pecs.
7 of 10
Tara Moore / Getty
Your Face
According to research from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, women are most attracted to men whose faces inspire their proclivity to nurture with their desire to mate with a sexually mature partner, the LA Times reports. What this means is they like men with large eyes and a medium-to-small nose (“baby face” features), and a strong jaw and wide cheekbones (mature man’s face). Women want a compassionate-looking good guy and a bad boy that exudes sexual power. Basically women have made up their mind to not make up their mind.
8 of 10
Yuki Cheung / EyeEm / Getty
Mysterious Mouth
Oh, the allure of bad boys. A study from the University of British Columbia found that women are less sexually attracted to happy guys than brooding men. Warning: you may become sulky after reading this. While a smile is essential to social interactions, women were more attracted to men who looked proud, powerful and yes, a little moody at first-glance. Act mysterious and aloof at first, and once you’ve got her, grin away.
9 of 10
PeopleImages / Getty
Powerful Hands
Women are detail-oriented. In an AskMen poll, women said they loved a man’s hands because it says a lot about him like what he does for a living, as well as his devotion to grooming and maintenance. Bigger hands also relate to masculinity, though you probably knew that already.
10 of 10
Hero Images / Getty
The Right Amount of Facial Hair
Women find men with heavy stubble to be the most attractive form of facial hair, a 2013 study from the journal Evolution & Human Behavior finds. They find heavy beards, light stubble and clean-shaven faces to be less attractive. However, women associate full beards with good health and parenting ability—something to think about for the future, perhaps.
