Contrary to popular belief, when a damsel is in distress a macho man just doesn't cut it, according to new research.
The gentle, effeminate type such as High School Musical's Zac Efron and Hollywood heart-throb Robert Pattinson are the men for difficult financial straits, new findings suggest, while strong silent types are no longer in favour.
The study was conducted to see whether money and health worries affect the type of woman a man finds attractive.
Sixty five young women were given one of three questionnaires to fill in.
One was designed to make the woman feel worry about her finances, another about her health. A third, neutral questionnaire included questions about belief in the paranormal.
They were then presented with a list of character traits and asked to choose those which belong to their ideal man.
Overall, women put most emphasis on the "good dad" traits, which meant they preferred men who were seen as good providers, gentle and kind.
Those who presented high levels of anxiety about their finances shunned masculine, rugged men such as Sean Bean and Kirk Douglas, the Royal Society journal Biology Letters report has found.
The study, conducted by Australian researchers, suggests that women with money woes look for kinder types, seen as good providers who will stick around when times get tough.
Conversely, women who were made to worry about their health were most drawn to attractive, macho men.
The researchers say this could be because masculinity can often be a sign of good genes, which women would like to pass on to their children.
The study concluded there are evolutionary advantages in a women's taste in men being flexible. This would allow the woman to "adapt their preferences to rapid changes in the environment such as pathogen outbreak or a famine," they said.
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The gentle, effeminate type such as High School Musical's Zac Efron and Hollywood heart-throb Robert Pattinson are the men for difficult financial straits, new findings suggest, while strong silent types are no longer in favour.
The study was conducted to see whether money and health worries affect the type of woman a man finds attractive.
Sixty five young women were given one of three questionnaires to fill in.
One was designed to make the woman feel worry about her finances, another about her health. A third, neutral questionnaire included questions about belief in the paranormal.
They were then presented with a list of character traits and asked to choose those which belong to their ideal man.
Overall, women put most emphasis on the "good dad" traits, which meant they preferred men who were seen as good providers, gentle and kind.
Those who presented high levels of anxiety about their finances shunned masculine, rugged men such as Sean Bean and Kirk Douglas, the Royal Society journal Biology Letters report has found.
The study, conducted by Australian researchers, suggests that women with money woes look for kinder types, seen as good providers who will stick around when times get tough.
Conversely, women who were made to worry about their health were most drawn to attractive, macho men.
The researchers say this could be because masculinity can often be a sign of good genes, which women would like to pass on to their children.
The study concluded there are evolutionary advantages in a women's taste in men being flexible. This would allow the woman to "adapt their preferences to rapid changes in the environment such as pathogen outbreak or a famine," they said.
Read more
