The Top 7 Things That Really Attract Men (and Why!)
  • Subscribe
  • Celebrity
    • Celebrity News
    • Black Women in Music
    • 'Yes. Girl!' Podcast
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • Entertainment
  • Fashion
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Beauty News
    • Dope Stuff On My Desk
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • How-To
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
    • Spring Hair & Beauty
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Boss Lady
    • Black Girl Brilliance
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
    • Latest Videos
    • 7 Things
    • ESSENCE Now
    • Black Girl Magic
  • Festival
    • ESSENCE Fest New Orleans
    • News & Announcements
  • Subscribe
  • Celebrity
    • Celebrity News
    • Black Women in Music
    • 'Yes. Girl!' Podcast
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • Entertainment
  • Fashion
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Beauty News
    • Dope Stuff On My Desk
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • How-To
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weaves
    • 4C
    • Spring Hair & Beauty
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Boss Lady
    • Black Girl Brilliance
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Videos
    • Latest Videos
    • 7 Things
    • ESSENCE Now
    • Black Girl Magic
  • Festival
    • ESSENCE Fest New Orleans
    • News & Announcements
  • Subscribe
  • Give a Gift
  • Get our Newsletter
  1. Home
  2. News

The Top 7 Things That Really Attract Men (and Why!)

Think you know what men really want? We'll see. The Modern Day Matchmaker reveals the latest research on what men go for, and the results may surprise you.

More
Paul Carrick Brunson
Dec, 18, 2012
1 of 9 Getty Images

This Just In

I have read many articles about what men really want. I was highly intrigued after reading a study by two neuroscience PhDs from Boston University, Sai Gaddam and Ogi Ogas. It is considered to be the world’s largest experiment on human desire. The duo analyzed a billion web searches, a million websites, a million erotic videos, millions of personal ads and thousands of digital romance novels, and then combined it all with cutting-edge neuroscience. As Jay-Z said, “numbers don’t lie,” and this study is all about them. Some findings may simply validate what you know while others could surprise you. Read on to find out!

Advertisement
2 of 9 Getty Images

Hot Middle Aged Moms

Age dominates searches by men online, especially on adult websites. Research shows more men search for women 41 to 55 years old than those 21 to 35 years old. Moreover, “mom” is one of the top search terms associated with age. The thought behind this concept is more mature women are experienced and know exactly what they want (and don’t have time to play “games”.) That must be why the terms “aggressive” and “seduction” frequently appear alongside most age searches by men. 

3 of 9 Getty Images

Small Feet

Foot erotica among men continues to grow in popularity. This is different from men liking shoes, which Freud thought reflected a submissive personality. The Alexa Adult Site List features more than 300 different foot specific sites. Interest in foot size from an evolutionary perspective is best learned by understanding when women are pregnant, their feet can grow up to a full shoe size. In many cultures, like the Chinese and Persian, they historically practiced foot binding to make feet physically smaller. I've seen my wife and her girlfriends wear shoes that were too small for their feet. Well, congratulations ladies. Men are watching!

Advertisement
4 of 9 Getty Images

0.7 Waist to Hip Measurement

This figure is the circumference of your waist against that of your hips. It’s widely known by scientists that this figure is a universal sexual driver of men around the world. This measurement has stood the test of time, with statues dating back thousands of years designed with this calculation. I give a visual demonstration about the measurement and why it’s considered important in this video.

Advertisement
5 of 9 Getty Images

Facial Symmetry

Men get this desire honestly. Research shows that as babies, we spend more time staring at pictures of symmetric individuals than asymmetric ones. Attractiveness based on an exact mirroring of the left to right side of a face is a highly-evolved trait not just seen in humans, but in many different animals as well, scientists say. Aside from symmetry, men generally prefer women with a small jaw, large eyes and defined cheekbones.

Advertisement
6 of 9 Getty Images

Round Butts

A friend once said “big butts win championships.” Everyone in the room nodded in agreement but, let me clarify one very important point: When you go to the data, or Ray-Ray on the street, you’ll quickly learn not all big butts yield the same result. Review the most popular search terms used with “butt” on adult sites, and you’ll see words such as “bubble” and “onion” dominate the top spots. The key is not absolute size nor is it firmness. My friend would be more accurate if he said, “Round butts win championships!” 

Advertisement
7 of 9 Getty Images

Firm Round Breasts

“Boobs” is one of the most commonly searched terms on any search engine. Not all guys are “breast men” but overwhelming evidence suggests bigger breasts attract the greatest amount of attention. Psychologist Nicholas Gueguen conducted a study that best sums up this point. He asked women to use bra padding to fabricate various breast sizes. He then had them stand in a nightclub to see how many times men approached them. Bra Size A yielded 18 approaches; Bra Size B yielded 28 approaches; and Bra Size C yielded 60 approaches. However, size is not the only important characteristic. In every culture (including remote Amazonian) the desire is grounded in youthfulness, with the want being for firm and round looking breasts. That helps explain why breast augmentation is now a $1 billion industry in the U.S. 

Advertisement
8 of 9 Getty Images

BBW

Let’s face it. Willowy, toothpick-thin women are what fashion photogs want but not what most men desire. Research illustrates in several ways that guys want BBW (Big Beautiful Women). First, the sheer number of dating as well as adult sites dedicated to heavier women versus skinny ones is substantially lopsided (at about 10 to 1). Secondly, adult female BMI (Body Mass Index) has continued to increase over years (argued by many scientists as a result of men’s desires). Lastly, it just makes sense; heavier women have curvier hips, rounder butts and bigger breasts. As researchers Gaddam and Ogas mention “the overall impression is one of super-sized visual cues of femininity.”

Advertisement
9 of 9 Getty Images

Talk to Paul

Comments, concerns or questions about my advice? Tell me about it below! Paul Carrick Brunson is a 2012 NAACP Image Award nominee and a 2012 iDate Matchmaker & Relationship Coach Of The Year nominee. His bestselling book It’s Complicated (But It Doesn’t Have to Be) is in stores now. Contact him directly on Facebook or Twitter anytime or visit his website.

You May Like

Read More

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Get The Essence Newsletter and Special Offers delivered to your inbox!
Sign Up Now
Tags
  • News

Subscribe To The Magazine

Plus, receive digital access and a free gift with your purchase!
Subscribe Now

Sign Up for our Newsletter

Get The Essence Newsletter and Special Offers delivered to your inbox!
Sign Up Now
HELP AND INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
SUBSCRIBE
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE Festival
Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
© 2018 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Your California Privacy Rights | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms | AD CHOICES