Wearing a simple white Tshirt makes men more attractive to women, study finds
Nottingham Trent University researchers say the simple illusion significantly improves the wearer's waist to chest ratio, which women see as a sign of masculinity and attractiveness.
Researchers showed thirty women pictures of men with different body shapes, wearing just a plain white T-shirt, and asked them to rate the men's attractiveness, health and intelligence.
Next, the women were asked to do the same thing when shown the same men wearing Tshirts with upright and then upside down ‘Ts' on front.
Wearing an upright T made the men appear 10 per cent more attractive to the women. But wearing upside down Ts, reduced their perceived attractiveness by accentuating their belly and making their hips appear wider. And men who had a less-than-ideal body shape got the most benefit from the optimal illusion. The thicker the ‘T' shape, the more attractive the men seemed. However, it didn't change the men's perceived intelligence, researchers found.
"The wider barred ‘T' seems to emphasise the upper chest when upright, which accentuates men's optimum shape. The opposite happens when inverted," said Nottingham Trent University psychologist Dr Andrew Dunn. Women seem to have an "implicit" ability to seize up a man's waist to chest ratio and judge his percieved attractiveness and health, he said.
"Clearly there are individual tastes and preferences, but we can see here how fashion could have an implicit positive or negative effect on perceived attractiveness and health. We think the findings could be of use to fashion designers and tailor who create bespoke clothing for their clients," said Mr Dunn.
Source: www.news.com.au
