In a study of 105 heterosexual Australian women, flaccid penis size, height, and shoulder-to-hip ratio all affected the women’s attractiveness ratings of life-size, computer-generated male figures. The traits worked together in complex ways; for example, penis size mattered more in taller men.
The penis effect was so strong that that the study’s authors, an all-male team of Australian biologists, wrote in their paper that it may have driven the evolution of bigger penises in humans, especially if in prehistory, men didn’t do as much to hide their penises in clothes. However, the authors didn’t offer a way to test this idea beyond these attractiveness ratings.
Of course, the study used a limited sample of pretty specific women. And, not to worry, it’s unlikely to have any real-world applications. Attraction takes into account myriad characteristics, and is unlikely to be well mirrored in a study with weird, white CGI male figures.
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