What turns a woman on is something most men often find complicated.
Luckily, science has done a little of the hard work for you – delving into the intricate female mind to discover what really gets her going.
While most men (we hope) know that listening to her, treating her with respect and putting in the effort to spend time with her goes a long way, there are a few other traits that put you ahead in the race for her affection.
So before you head out on your next big date, take a look at what turns a woman on according to science.
A furrowed or wrinkled brow can turn a woman on more than a happy face.
A study published in Evolution and Human Behaviour found men who displayed the “Dark Triad” features of narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy are more attractive to women.
That seems like a slight cause for concern – but it is all to do with the perception of social success.
Of the three traits, narcissism is most clearly associated with social success and physical and psychological health benefits in men.
The study found that women with a preference for highly narcissistic men’s faces had more children.
This seems like an obvious factor, but it is important nonetheless.
A 2014 study found men who work take part in more creative activities such as photography, playing in a band, and writing poetry are more attractive to women.
Playing sports also topped the list for the most attractive trait in the opposite sex.
A close second on the list was taking a date on a spontaneous road trip – so getting planning boys.
The study found that the most guaranteed way to attract a partner was through “intellectual interests” and “creative achievement.”
So men who work in creative industries such as web design, writing or art are more likely to get the girl.
Forget what you heard about being clean shaven – it’s not what women want.
An older beard or stubble, specifically 10-day old stubble, is more of a turn on to women.
A study in Evolution and Human Behaviour found men with the clean-shaven look appeared just as healthy as men with beards, but women rated men with beards higher for perceived parenting skills.
But heavy stubble was more attractive than beards.
The authors concluded this was down to men appearing more “manly” when they have facial hair.
The voice is known to affect the perceived attractiveness of a person.
But a study published in PLoS One found a low, husky voice to be the more attractive voice as it is perceived as more dominant.
The perceived sexiness of a man’s voice was also influenced by breathiness, which can soften more aggressive tones.
So when asking her on a date, use a tender, deep voice with a heavy breath and a husky undertone to highlight your masculinity.
Yes, that’s right – sweat.
While most men might be quick to jump in the shower to wash off that post-workout aroma, it turns out it is actually quite a turn on.
A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience found women were sexually aroused, had faster heartbeats, and increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol when they smelt male sweat.
Researchers found that the chemical androstadienone – a compound found in male sweat and an additive in perfumes and colognes – changed mood, sexual arousal, physiological arousal, and brain activation in women.
However, they note that there is no evidence to suggest humans react in the same way when the chemical is added to colognes.
So, you may want to ease off on your expensive perfumes and hit the gym more.
On the topic of smells, it turns out British women are turned on by the scent of leather, gas, paint, and printer ink – not something you would usually associate with getting down and dirty between the sheets.
This is according to research from soap company Daz.
Men’s turn-ons make far more sense.
The same study found they were turned on by the scent of lipstick, baby oil, and a roast dinner.
Clean sheets rank higher than a new hair-do, make-up, and even a steamy hot bath when it comes to getting a woman in the mood.
In a study of more than 2,000 men and women, researchers found clean sheets came in second on the top turn-on’s list, right behind losing weight.
So men, get those sheets in the washing machine before your big date.
Yep, apparently, that is a thing when it comes to the dating game.
A study called The Name Experiment found that in the UK, the names Ryan, James, Jack and Chris to be the most attractive names a man can have.
James also topped the list for the perceived success and Jack topped the list for the luckiest name, closely followed by Chris.
The least attractive names went to Peter, Thomas, and George.
But not all hope is lost – you can still smell of sweat while wearing leather and speaking in a deep, husky voice.
This article originally appeared on The Sun.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.
