Study: Men's looks matter more than women admit

Researchers asked young women (ages 15 to 29) to choose potential dates from a series of photographs and descriptions, while the women’s mothers (ages 37 to 61) were asked to select possible boyfriends for their daughters using the same information. Results showed that a man’s looks influenced both groups of women more strongly than his personality profile. This held true even if a man’s profile was filled with highly desirable personal qualities, such as being respectful, honest and trustworthy.

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Both daughters and mothers rated the attractive and moderately attractive men as more desirable dating partners than unattractive men, said the findings, published online in March in the journal Evolutionary Psychological Science.

The study suggests that women value physical attractiveness in a potential mate far more than they say they do, said study author Madeleine Fugère, a professor of social psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University in Willimantic.

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