There are numerous factors that influence the perception of a man’s attractiveness, including his physical appearance, social status, wealth, and personality.
Research conducted at the University of California suggests that two other factors, creativity and intelligence, also positively influence a man’s attractiveness to women.
The study was conducted by Mark D. Prokosch, Richard G. Coss, Joanna E. Scheib, and Shelley A. Blozis and published in Evolution and Human Behavior in 2009.
For their study, Prokosch and his colleagues videotaped 15 male college students performing four different tasks. The male students were recorded reading aloud headlines from various news websites, responding to a thought-provoking question, explaining why they would be a good date, and throwing a frisbee.
The male college students also completed the verbal component of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS-III).
After being edited, the videotapes were shown to 204 female college students who rated the man’s appeal as a long-term romantic partner and as a brief sexual relationship. They also rated his level of intelligence, creativity, physical attractiveness, financial security, and potential dependability. Each female college student watched a total of five different videotapes.
“Women’s ratings of a man’s intelligence predicted their preferences for both long-term and short-term partners,” as Prokosch and his colleagues explain, but “perceived intelligence predicted only a small amount of the variability in the appeal of a short-term mate.”
Higher scores on the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale were also associated with appeal as a long-term and short-term partner.
But what makes intelligence a potentially attractive trait?
“Given that greater intelligence is generally associated with success in a wide variety of circumstances, we would expect it to be highly valued in a long-term mate. For example, being more intelligent often means having better access to material goods and resources including those associated with greater social success and standing.”
Although higher levels of intelligence were generally perceived as more attractive than lower levels, ratings of physical attractiveness and ratings of creativity both had a greater influence on the men’s appeal as a long-term partner and short-term partner.
And, according to Prokosch and his colleagues, the female college students in the study may have conflated the two traits.
“Unlike WAIS scores, rated creativity was considerably more susceptible to the influence of physical attractiveness, suggesting that participants might be equating creativity with sexiness.”
These findings may help explain why male actors and musicians are often very sexually appealing.
Reference:
Prokosch, M.D., Coss, R.G., Scheib, J.E. & Blozis, S.A. (2009). Intelligence and mate choice: intelligent men are always appealing. Evolution and Human Behavior, Vol 30: 1-20.