Hungry Men Find Heavier Women Attractive: Study

Men are attracted to curvier women when they are hungry, finds a study.

Past clinical trials suggest that hunger can cause mood fluctuations and even affect our willingness to indulge in risky activities. Researchers from the Westminster University found that hunger makes men seek partners who are heavy and well endowed. But after hunger is sated, men may not have the same preference for heavier partners, reports the Telegraph.

Their study involved 266 male participants who were asked to watch animated images of women and rate them according to their attractiveness.

It was observed that men who had not eaten for nearly six hours mostly rated heavier women with large breasts as attractive.  A previous research also holds that hunger draws women to heavier men.

"Hunger can change your perception of who is attractive. If a man is hungry they prefer slightly larger breast size in women. They also prefer slightly larger women in general," said Viren Swami, study author and researcher from the Westminster University, reports the Telegraph.

"For women then generally prefer a slightly heavier man."

These findings indicate hunger plays a key role in altering our perception of physical attractiveness. Hunger or scarcity of food drives people to look for large sized partners as heavier bodies are a sign of nourishment and easy accessibility for food. Both hunger and sex drive is controlled by a part of the brain called the ventromedial nucleus that triggers the production of a hormone oxytocin. Once people are satiated, the want for food transcends into sexual attraction.

"There is a good piece of science behind it. Sex and hunger are two fundamental drives. It probably explains why we go for dinner and then want to have sex," said Gareth Leng, professor from the University of Edinburgh who was not involved in the study, reports the Telegraph.

In addition, the current study also found that people are most likely attracted to their co-workers and neighbors more than random acquaintances. The authors believe that familiarity and geographical proximity makes people more appealing. They add being nice also allures prospective partners.

"We tend to find people who are conscientious, who are more agreeable more attractive. The nice guy doesn't always finish last."    

The research was presented at the Cheltenham Science Festival.