Decoding Love - Andrew Trees [85]
You don’t need Hans and Franz to pump you up. Women prefer an average-size male torso and consider a heavily muscular body unattractive.
Although sweatpants are comfortable, think about putting on something a little nicer. When women were shown pictures of men, the better dressed the subject was, the higher they were inclined to rank him in all sorts of areas, including the likelihood of having a one-night stand with him.
Lay off the cologne. According to a recent study, the smell of it turns women off. How did the researchers know? The women’s vaginal blood flow decreased. Instead, try eating some Good ’n Plenty candy. For some reason, that smell increased vaginal blood flow.
The advice your father gave you on handshakes is absolutely true: the firmer, the better. According to new research, handgrip strength in men is directly related to reproductive fitness. Researchers have found that men with strong grips are healthier and more dominant, have a more masculine body type, have sex at a younger age, and have more sexual encounters. Unfortunately, you can’t simply buy handgrips and fake it—grip strength is largely genetic and is tied to your testosterone production.
For the squeakers out there, try to speak with a low-pitched voice. Women prefer a lower-pitched voice and see it as attractive, healthier, and more masculine. It’s likely an evolutionary signal of genetic fitness. In a study of hunter-gatherers, men with lower-pitched voices had more children.
Hang out with attractive women. One study found that men were judged to be more attractive when they were with an attractive woman than they were when they were by themselves (the reverse also held true—men with unattractive women were judged to be less attractive).
Become a feminist—not because it’s the right thing to do but for the chicks! According to one study, a man’s belief in equality between the sexes had the greatest influence on both a woman’s platonic and romantic attraction to him.
If you get a woman back to your place, put on rock music, not jazz. One study showed that women who were listening to rock music judged photos of men as significantly more attractive than women who were judging the photos without music or with jazz playing.
Don’t be afraid to rent a Bette Midler movie and get in touch with your feminine side. In one study, when women were given a choice between a man who was interested in stereotypically masculine activities versus a man who was interested in masculine and feminine activities, the women viewed the second man as more likable, intelligent, and honest. Another study has shown that dominance in a man only appeals to women if he is also helpful and cooperative.
Although you may rarely leave your couch to do anything more than pay for your takeout, emphasize your ambition and willingness to work hard. Men consistently underestimate how important these qualities are to women.
If you’re not tall, consider getting lifts. In personal ads, men who said they were tall received more responses than men who didn’t mention their height.
FOR HER
You are not the helpless pawn of love, and men are not the cold-hearted cynics. Studies show that men actually fall in love faster. In addition, researchers have found that women tend to be more pragmatic and realistic when it comes to love.
Before you complain that there are no eligible men in your life, take a second look at your male friends and see if any of them strike your fancy. According to research, men are almost twice as sexually attracted to their female friends as women are to their male friends.
You should take the same attitude toward men as the Missouri state motto: show me! In other words, be skeptical of the promises that men make. It’s true that you are much better at picking up signals than men are. You are also far more adept at evaluating facial expressions and do a better job of reading another person