Attractive Men Study Shows Female Lust Triggered By Macho Guys' Testosterone, Immune Systems

By: Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer
Published: 02/21/2012 11:39 AM EST on LiveScience

Women may drool over George Clooney and Brad Pitt, but their lust may be more for these macho guys' immune systems than their pretty faces and chiseled abs, new research suggests.

Men with high levels of the sex hormone testosterone are seen as more hunky — and these same men have stronger immune responses, researchers report Tuesday (Feb. 21) in the journal Nature Communications. The findings suggest that women may be attracted to manly facial types because the macho look signals good health.

Researchers led by Fhionna Moore of Abertay University in the United Kingdom recruited 74 Latvian men in their early 20s to give blood samples right before and one month after their first dose of the Hepatitis B vaccine. The vaccine triggers the immune system to create antibodies against the virus. The researchers measured these levels of antibodies as well as testosterone levels and levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Next, 94 Latvian women, also in their early 20s, rated photographs of each man on a 10-point scale of attractiveness. The researchers then looked for links between the immune response as measured by Hepatitis B antibodies, hormone levels and attractiveness.

They found that high testosterone correlated with both sexy faces and a strong immune response. Men with the strongest immune responses were rated as better looking than those with weak immune responses. The link between testosterone and hotness was strongest in men with low levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggesting that stress might take a toll on the immune system, and thus women's ratings of attractiveness.

While much research has hinted at a relationship between testosterone and the immune system, this study is the first to directly link women's opinions of a man's looks with the strength of his immune system. Researchers next hope to tease out whether the results hold across cultures and across different age ranges.

You can follow LiveScience senior writer Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.

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Comments

[AHuffPostReader]

02:15 PM on 02/28/2012

I think this is very subjective. I don't find Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt attractive, though they are considered to be super-sexy. I find the Jake Gyllenhaal and Ryan Gosling kind attractive.

[AHuffPostReader]

02:13 PM on 02/28/2012

Does it hold the other way around too? Do men get turned off by stressed out women?

[crayola 08b]

08:21 AM on 02/27/2012

he looks like the vampire Lestat in that photo.

[moviepage101]

08:30 PM on 02/26/2012

And to think, all this time I thought female lust was directly related to the size of a man's...bank account. I've seen mini me waddling around with some pretty nice looking models. Is he macho??? I think macho is, what the media says it is.

[Eventi Napoli]

10:50 AM on 02/28/2012

asdfdsfsf

[WI Patriot]

03:12 PM on 02/25/2012

For a woman to stay - Money
For a woman to be faithful : Testosterone, Immune Systems

[ynori]

10:21 PM on 02/23/2012

This reminds me of a similar study that revealed that women are more attractive when they're ovulating. If I remember correctly, their faces were judged prettier, their eyes brighter, etc. That study would correlate with this one in suggesting that it is really about hormones and instincts. It seems sad to think of it that way, though.

[jenniferkizzy]

05:03 PM on 02/23/2012

i find native american men exceedingly attractive i alway's have alway's will i also find black men attractive and asian men arabic men british men and even american men are hawt too me so their i would most likely settle with an american male black white whatever i think their the least liked but their most aw some bye.

[DrB3]

06:37 PM on 05/04/2012

Holy crap. Who gave you a high school diploma?

[jenniferkizzy]

04:59 PM on 02/23/2012

while look's strength and vitality is what most women want in a man i look for intelligence and whit and humor and even yes a guy who can shoot a gun i like too go hunting so yeah it's nice too see that look's factor into that but it's not all i want bye and yes nice ness bye

[RealistBC]

11:51 AM on 02/23/2012

Here are what we normal men are up against, ladies. Your own biology is the source of this information. these are the "real" men you seek, but most of you end up settling for the rest of us - and never letting us forget it for a minute.

[jf12]

11:52 AM on 02/23/2012

Yes.

[wsdave]

06:31 PM on 02/23/2012

Or, as Chris Rock put it: "Never forget that you weren't her first choice."

[beckola]

10:29 AM on 02/23/2012

I saw a performance by Junior Walker and the All Starts in a small venue, so I was rather close to Junior Walker physically.

This was a short, rotund black man who had some age on him. But sex poured off of him. I leaned over and told my husband that Junior just exuded testosterone and sexuality. I was quite frankly bowled over by it, it was almost palpable. It's something men either have or they don't. For the record, my husband has it in abundance (:

I bought a CD later, and in the writing on the insert, it referred to Junior's "testosterone-packed performances." Ah ha!

[rvtgr8]

02:41 AM on 02/23/2012

I can't say for sure, but a big reptilian smile with loads of white teeth coupled with the salacious humor of the swamp goes a long way toward getting the lady gators to pay attention to me. Oh and maybe a half eaten deer hidden under a submerged log. Yeah, I knows what da galigators want.

[Amalek]

02:24 AM on 02/23/2012

Ever since I began supplementing testosterone I have met so many Latvian women.  Now I understand.

[hanerau]

03:47 AM on 02/23/2012

It sounds like you have the kevorka

[ProudToBeVeryLiberal]

02:20 AM on 02/23/2012

I'm attracted by a man's mind. The body is irrelevant.

[Amalek]

02:25 AM on 02/23/2012

I have a PhD.  That is what all the girls say to me, but that is not how they behave once they have their hands on me.

[ProudToBeVeryLiberal]

02:41 AM on 02/23/2012

Well, the problem is, I have a Ph.D. too, so that in itself isn't all that impressive to me, especially if it's outside of a STEM discipline... :)

[monilove42]

11:44 AM on 02/23/2012

I am too but I am also attracted to a man's squared jaw-line and strong chin.

[Jinni]

12:50 AM on 02/23/2012

Hmmm who do i find more attractive....a hunky guy who is an airhead or a regular guy who is intellectual and has a fulfilling career? Intellect wins by a mile. Abs are great to look at but then again so is a potted plant

[Earthling1125]

12:44 PM on 02/24/2012

Ha! Funny.

Myself, I prefer gazing at a nicely rounded jade plant over some wimpy ficus any day. (seriously)

[Jerry Villano]

11:01 PM on 02/22/2012

wealth and power attracts similar women, add good looks and it attracts similar exceptional women!....as for mr and mrs avg.citizen they find each other for many reasons...mostly love! it will pave the way too relationships whether you have exceptional attributes or not!