Women are more attracted to rugged men like Chris Hemsworth during times of uncertainty, study finds

Everyone has a type, whether it’s curvy, muscular, or ‘daddy bod’, but it turns out who you’re attracted to is dictated by the current state of the world.

Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands found that women are more attracted to strong men like Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa in times of uncertainty.

This look is defined by a sharper nose and chin, a more angular jawline, and higher cheekbones.

Under the same circumstances, however, men tend to be more attracted to women with “cute” faces like Selena Gomez, who have softer lines, shadows, and outer facial contours, as well as rounder lips, cheeks, and the tip of the nose. .

However, in uncertain times, men tend to be more attracted to women with more ‘cute’ faces. In the image: results of the first study

The authors hypothesize that this is due to “increased desire for a stereotypical partner type inferred from such facial features.”

For men, this was for a woman they see as caring, but for a woman, this is a man they see as strong, as he ‘provides[s] a sense of predictability’.

“These results show that mate preferences are not fixed, but are affected by fleeting psychological states, such as feelings of uncertainty due to external and unpredictable events,” they wrote.

For many of us, the past few years have been chaotic, to say the least, with the COVID-19 pandemic, cost-of-living crisis, and ever-changing government.

These external factors can affect our health in many ways, including through lack of sleep, brain fog, and depression.

In uncertain times, studies have shown that people tend to search for order and structuresometimes increasing their support for religion, government either Conspiracy theories.

For their study, published in the European Journal of Social Psychologythe researchers wanted to test whether periods of unpredictability affect the type of partner people seek.

They recruited students and individuals from the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) job posting website to participate in three studies.

For the first study, participants were presented with four different male or female faces that had been digitally altered to appear tougher or cuter (pictured). They then had to rate them based on their attractiveness, likeability, and how much they would like to go on a date with them.

After analyzing the results of the two studies, the researchers found that women found tougher male faces and stronger partners more attractive after reflecting on times of uncertainty than certainty. This look was defined by a sharper nose and chin, a more angular jawline, and higher cheekbones.

For the first study, 173 MTurk workers were asked to write a story with a maximum of 100 words about a situation in which they felt safe or uncertain, reflecting on how they felt at that moment.

Certain times may present financial stability and job security, while uncertain times may imply a financial crisis or changes in the political climate.

They were then presented with four different male or female faces that had been digitally altered to appear tougher or cuter.

Participants were asked to rate the faces based on their attractiveness, likeability, and how much they would like to go on a date with them.

In the second study, 174 students again had to write a story about an uncertain or certain period of their lives.

They then had to imagine that they were looking for a date and indicate how attracted they would be to a loving or strong partner.

After analyzing the results of the two studies, the researchers found that women found tougher male faces and stronger partners more attractive after reflecting on times of uncertainty than certainty.

Men, however, rated cute faces more and sought a more affectionate partner under uncertain-on-certain conditions.

Men, however, rated cute faces as more attractive under uncertain conditions than certain ones. Tender features include softer outer facial lines, shadows, and contours, as well as rounder lips, cheeks, and tip of the nose. In the photo: Selena Gomez

In the second study, participants had to imagine looking for a date after thinking about a certain or uncertain period in their life. They had to indicate to what extent they would be attracted to a loving or strong partner. In the image: results of the second study

For the third study, 141 students were asked to think of a loving partner who ‘does [them] feels at home and comforting’ or a strong companion who ‘provides protection and [they] you can rely on when needed’.

They were then told to imagine they were looking to date someone who fit that summary, and asked to rate the faces in the first study for attractiveness.

The results showed that people viewed cute facial features as caring and tougher facial features as strong when presented by the opposite sex.

The researchers wrote: “We show that when faced with uncertainty, women are more attracted to men with tougher facial features than to softer ones, while men are more attracted to women with softer facial features. than for the toughest”.

“These findings have implications for our understanding of how and why mate preferences are influenced by uncertainty.”

For the third study, students were asked to think of a loving or strong partner. They were then told to imagine they were looking to date someone who fit that summary, and were asked to rate the faces with cute or tough features based on their attractiveness. In the image: results of the third study