Smiling men less attractive to women: study

Happy men are so unsexy.

I'm surprised by this study. I thought women liked a smile on a man. I've always heard mothers tell their boys to smile at women. I didn't think women liked men who try to come across as dark and brooding.

This is nothing new. Studies have always shown that when women seek out sex, they look for guys with traditionally manly faces, heavy five-o'clock shadows, etc...features that belie testosterone. When they seek a mate for marriage, they look for men with more feminized faces.

That's funny because there's a guy I've had my eye on who I only find attractive when he isn't smiling.

Straight female here and a smile on a man or a woman is one of the most pleasant charming things you'll ever see. %0D %0D I don't understand this study.

Well, no one with jacked up teeth should be smiling! There's nothing worse than disgusting teeth on an otherwise attractive person.

That's the best picture Mike Myers has ever taken, R7.

What people SAY and what they actually DO are two very different things. Women (and gay men) SAY they're looking for a "sweet, kind hearted guy" but why do you always see the biggest assholes with all the hot women (and hot gay men)???

I think a brooding man is sexier than a smiling man, but not necessarily more attractive.

I always thought the key to a straight woman's attraction to a straight man was that she was very attracted to his smile. Upon seeing a seemingly happy man, she'd think to herself, "Oh, yeah? I'll fix that."

which explains all the Twlilight fans who go crazy for the emo vampire Edward.

Mystery

Brooding

The tortured soul

A stray dog that needs some loving in order to turn into the big prize winner in a dog beauty contest.

I don't think this is true at all. I like a guy who smiles although my partner does not smile a lot I have to say.

I think what both sexes are looking for is rejection. Smiling means I want to talk to you, but not smiling means leave me alone and that triggers the "need" for acceptance and the desire to please.

Good point R12. I didn't think of that.

You really think that everyone is looking for rejection, R14? Interesting. I'll have to think about that.

R14 nails it.

I don't think it's rejection they're seeking but more the challenge and trophy/reward that is bound to elude them for aiming to high and they take on a project that's way over their heads.

I think what people like in a picture is different than what they like in a real person.

Lots of people don't have the looks to pull off a brooding pose.

I think context is important. But of course they left that out.

Rejection? LOOKING for it? Oh, my sides. People with self esteem and self worth would not be interested in some non-smiling "brooding" man, thinking him to be an asshole or, at the very least, not much fun. Balanced, "healthy" people are drawn to "good" energy people. Dating the bad boys or the non-smiling types is for those who still have a need to beat themselves up. Seeing some handsome guy standing around "scowling" or doing the model pose thing just makes me roll my eyes. I think he is a dumb ass narcissistic POSEUR. And I am right 99.9% of the time.

But how do straight men rate other men and how do gay men rate other men? This sample is outside my norm.

As I man, I generally agree.

Although a guy smiling as he blows me is amazingly hot.

This is news? Go to any rock concert and who do the women go crazy for? The moody, brooding bass player.

Where am I? Why would anyone here care about this? Where am I?

This is why so few dudes today smile in pics and male models rarely smile. Moreover, popular hip hop says mean have to look hard and tough. Smiling guys are viewed as effeminate or corny and therefore unsexy.

Too much smiling points to crazy town. Can you imagine sitting, on the subway, across from some person who is smiling for no reason during the entire trip? I usually avoid eye contact or, if it's not rush hour, and there's many seats, I move away.

Not even women like their men to look they're smelling freshly-baked cookies.

It's all about perceived masculine. Men who appear serious and tough are viewed as attractive in our society. Americans value men who seem to be "kick ass" and "take no prisoners." We are a testosterone worshiping society.

If I see a "brooding" guy I immediately think anti-social and difficult.

A brooding masculine guy with a square jaw, heavy brow, and heavy 5 o'clock shadow turns my knees to jelly. What can I say...the penis wants what it wants.

It's all about power and strength. People are naturally attracted to that which seems strong, powerful, aggressive, and dominant. Men who smile a lot are perceived as weaker, too passive, and open to be dominated. It's sort of a primal thing to exalt men who appear to be Alpha Dawgs, instead of the dominated ones.

yes tough guys are the hottest!

I think gay men who smile all the time are unsexy and effeminate. Constantly smiling is a feminine trait. Every time I go to a gay bar, at least a dozen guys come up to me and say, "Smile." In reality, it's the fact that I'm not smiling that probably turns them on.

No discussion of the part of the study that determined that men don't like confident women? I guess that one's not so surprising to people.

yeah, society finds women who dont smile unattractive and threatening.

r11!!!!!!!!

[quote]yeah, society finds women who dont smile unattractive and threatening. It's called "caneface."

AS rapper actor Ice-T says: "When you are a light-skinned brotha with hazel eyes, you DO NOT walk around smiling." Smiling is not viewed as a trait of strength or masculinity in men.

[quote]Rejection? LOOKING for it?

Some see it as a challenge. Not that they are the Florence Nightingales they think they are.

[quote]Constantly smiling is a feminine trait. How silly!

For me it depends on the guy yet I usually like guys who don't smile that much. There are exceptions where certain guys I find more attractive when they smile and are clearly in a happy mood. Jason Behr and Jake from SeanCody I find more attractive when they smile.

bump

I like it when they are mean and hate me.

Conclusion: Smiling is gay.

Oh yeah...nothing attracts me to a man more than a man who has a scowl on his face and looks like a mean, unfriendly asshole. *rolls eyes*

I guess my friend is the exception. He has the greatest fucking smile in the world and people especially women flock to him.

This is some bull. A killer smile makes any man stand out from the crowd. When a man or anyone shows you their teeth they are letting themselves be vulnerable and that is when you know they are attracted to you. The only reason these women say this is because so many men dont have a good smile, bad teeth, non symmetrical face or mouth, etc. so they look better with their mouth shut.

A certain type of tough and gloomy guy can appeal to women because they think he'll be very loving if they can get past his defences, and he won't cheat because she means so much to him. I think this type of man does exist, but it's easy to choose wrongly and end up with a guy who is always miserable or one who is too possessive and stalks you when you leave him.

"Who's got the prettiest smile?"

These people aren't what I would call "men" or "women". They are college aged people, ages 18-22, and therefore, late adolescents. They aren't mature or experienced enough to know that a happy man and a confident woman are treasures to be cherished.

:(

[quote]women [..] least attractive when they look proud and confident Wow that's fucked up.

interestin as one of the main features of male 'gay face' is that the guy is grinning or smiling; showing his pearly whites. maybe women don't find it less attractive as they're like...mmmm, gay face!!

"women [..] least attractive when they look proud and confident Wow that's fucked up." I second that.

Anybody smiling with current state of the world and this country in particular is clearly mentally damaged and no one really wants to date a retard. Also, straight women don't want to date guys who look like they just smelled cookies for obvious reasons.

[quote]The moody, brooding bass player.

The truth is, most bass players are half asleep & leaning on the instrument to hold themselves up.

Look at pics of male models today? How many are smiling? Not many. It's not considered cool in guys.

I love guys with pretty smiles.

I think it's also telling that older women don't fall for the tough posers. What came to mind immediately for me is a section of the local paper that comes out around the start of baseball/softball season. They take pictures of all the local high school baseball and softball teams. There are the women, all smiling at the camera looking like they're having fun. And then there are the jock boys, grimacing with their arms crossed and scowling at the camera like it just insulted their mothers. I just laugh at them and think what idiotic children they are. There's usually one or two guys smiling in the pictures and they get a much better response from me.%0D %0D But, then again, I'm not an immature, idiotic teenager who has allowed my mind to be shaped by what other people think.

This study too puzzles me. I'm very much in love with my boyfriend, and nothing melts my heart more than when I see him smile. Funny thing is, when I first met him, he was brooding and scowling, and even though he's extremely good-looking, I was completely turned off. I'm glad I gave him another chance.

:)

But, aren't there different *types* of smiles?%0D %0D There's the "I'm the village idiot" smile, and the "I'm a cornball hick" smile, and yes, there's the "I'm a non-agressive people-pleaser" smile. %0D %0D I can see how none of those might be attractive, and especially the latter one is sort of non-masculine.%0D %0D But there's also the "I'm full of vim and vigour and I'm enjoying life" smile which is still masculine and confident.

everyone love a smile, but I think it is a given most girls are attracted to slightly abusive guys who will be moody and smack them on the ass and be a bit bossy. If a guy is nice, a girl will have a bit of contempt for him and see him as nonsexual, and if the guy gets a little dominant and maybe unilaterally decide where to eat dinner and what movie to see, the girl will immediately decide she wants to do his laundry out of love. People will laugh at that, but while all that may not be literal, that is the way girls are and quite a few acknowledge it.

Remind me to smile all the time now.

Most straight guys don't actually brush their teeth on a regular basis.

I love a guy with a nice smile. To me, that's sexy. But many girls think brooding asshole-types are sexy, and those are the girls who ruin it for the rest of us. I hold them partially responsible for why so many straight guys think it's acceptable and even preferable to act like jerks. When I say I want a nice guy, I truly mean it. First hint that the guy sees me as someone to "dominate" and not as an equal, I'm outta there.

This thread is full of straight females...why you here?

Dour men, gay men, married men...WOMEN WANT WHAT THEY (seemingly) CAN'T HAVE.

society thinks tough guys are more masculine, manly.

[quote]This is some bull. A killer smile makes any man stand out from the crowd. When a man or anyone shows you their teeth they are letting themselves be vulnerable and that is when you know they are attracted to you.

Or they want to eat you; or they are crazy jackasses, indiscriminately baring teeth and braying EEE AAAW!

I'm always surprised by how many people on DL must be professional teeth bleachers, cruelly disappointed whenever the subject of a photo isn't baring his teeth like the Cheshire cat. Doesn't matter if the subject is aware or unaware of the photographer, of the situation, or that he may look content or pleased or happy, even, without looking like a Ken Doll, a simpleton lottery winner, an ad for Colgate, there's always at least one asshole who trots out, "Would it kill him to smile?"

Yes, people like smiles, but mostly they like smiles directed toward and in specific reaction to them. A "killer smile" works only when worked on someone, not broadcast like a sign of idiocy.

(Only) in America it seems, anyone who doesn't smile all of the time isn't ready for their close-up, isn't ready to step up to stardom, to become a televangelist at least, isn't happy as a pig in shit.

I photograph a lot of people - thousands in fact - as part of a project called 1000faces. I'm able to see how many views each image receives (but not the identity or gender of the viewer). In general, smiling people tend to be viewed more than surly looking ones.

Why Bad-Boys Don’t Smile

“A SMILE CONFUSES AN APPROACHING FROWN.”

There is a culture amongst many young men that in order to appear tough and masculine you should not smile. There is a notion that smiling is a form of weakness and transforms you into a ‘nice guy’. However, This is actually preposterous; we have undertaken our own research that throws this idea on its head.Many guys get it wrong; they feel they have to display a constant angry expression in order to look tough. This is stupid for 3 reasons; firstly, the muscles in your face hurt after a while, secondly it makes you age quicker, and the third reason being it’s ineffectiveness to look tough without trying too hard.

A smile does much more than the screwed up constipated look: It can suggest you know more than you are letting on, and shows you have the balls to smile and not care about it.

I like it when the are mean and hit me.

When animals show teeth it is because they want to intimidate or eat you. Women pick up on this ancient aggression and disdain it.

The important question is why men like smiles. It is because they are genetically programmed to be subservient to female territoriality. Only they don't know it.

Guys on the hand like it when somebody attractive smiles at you. And, I mean "somebody" - male or female. I'm pretty fug, but when an attractive male or female smiles at me...awe shucks.

It's called GAYFACE

And it puts women in a "fag hag" mood.

Not all bi/gay guys like dudes that smile. Many dudes like homothugs or bisexual bad boys, who definitely don't make it a habit to smile. Serious men are generally viewed as sexier, hotter than grinning men.

it's called "mean muggin." dudes don't want to smile in pics especially because it is considered weak, effeminate. guys want to look tough, manly, and macho because people think that is sexy.

Didn't they also say in this study that men found confident looking women the least attractive? Which is so fucked up.

Yep, r80.

But according to the comments made on this thread, smiling is associated with "weakness," so I guess men like for women to appear weak. Men think weak = eager to please, easier to sleep with and boss around, and less threatening to the paper-thin egos of "tough, manly, macho" guys.

R6,

I'm sorry I had to pay my bills rather than preserve my teeth.

So they are not attracted to gay men..

I hope that Brown Chris beats the shit out of me!

r81, true. Men like subservient women. Sorry, but it's true.

But I look so hetero-butch when I smile! Now sashay away!

Society says men should be serious, tough, and dominant. Guys who look like this are viewed as hot because they look like they can kick anyone's butt.

[R87]: I think the word requires a little more finesse to navigate nowadays. I'd consider it detrimental for a man to be like that. "Tough" and "dominant" just makes me think of testosterone poisoning.

Fish are not interested in sex with men, only in how much money they can ultimately rip-off from a man (aka "marriage")

[R89]: since they'll be housekeeper, nanny, secretary, etc., why wouldn't they, dummy?

I smile with my eyes.

This is the expression people are attracted to in men. Serious, tough...

serious hot

Interesting, because while I love swagger in a man, I love it when he smiles, that's the best combination.

Most men with swag tend not to smile, especially in photos. That would be considered corny or cheesy.

It's all about masculinity, and smiling is perceiving as non-masculine, weak, vulnerable, not tough.

This is why dudes don't smile in pics.

Have a voice that sounds more like James Earl Jones than David Beckham's slightly squeaky one? You're in luck: a new study suggests women are more attracted to guys with a low-pitched voice when it comes to short-term flings.

But don't go altering your voices just yet, guys: The study also suggested that women perceive men with deep voices as being more likely to cheat on them.

The study, published online in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, offers insight into how human voices evolved and how we choose our mates.

“Until now, it’s been unclear why women would like the voices of men who might cheat," said Jillian O’Connor, the lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. "We found that the more women thought these men would cheat, the more they were attracted to them for a brief relationship when they are less worried about fidelity.”

To conduct the study, O’Connor and her team asked roughly 90 women to listen to men's voices that were electronically manipulated to sound higher or lower, and then choose who they thought would be more likely to cheat on their partners.

The researchers also asked the ladies to pick the voice they thought was more attractive for a long-term relationship versus a short-term one. The verdict? The deep-voiced men were seen as being more suitable for a fling and more likely to cheat.

So why do the researchers think this is the case? From an evolutionary perspective, women's voice-based judgments on the faithfulness of men may be adaptive, said David Feinberg, an assistant professor in the department of psychology, neuroscience and behavior at the university.

"The consequences of infidelity are very high whether it is emotional or financial and this research suggests that humans have evolved as a protection mechanism to avoid long-term partners who may cheat," Feinberg said.

This isn't the first time researchers have delved into how women -- and men -- interpret the pitch of a potential mate's voice. Back in April 2013, researchers from the University College London found that deep male voices were judged as more attractive because they conveyed that the speaker was strong and possessed a large frame, while high-pitched female voices were considered to be more attractive because they suggested the speaker had a small body.

"Women (and gay men) SAY they're looking for a "sweet, kind hearted guy" but why do you always see the biggest assholes with all the hot women (and hot gay men)???"

Huh? The guys who get the most women are usually the ones with the most money.

This just proves that women are fucked up. Who the hell can feel attraction towards a guy that looks like is smelling shit?

This is good news for the Serbian millionaire looking for a young bride.

r99, you act like gay and bi dudes are not also attracted to tough macho dudes? have you not read social dating ads?

I never really smile unless there's a reason, but it's not a pose. People have often told me that I come across as intimidating because of that ... if only they realised how many 'smiling barracudas' there are out there.

Who cares what women think?!

r102, where are you from? I find that Northerners and big city folks smile a lot less than Southerners, people in the West, Midwesterners, and small town folks. It seems like people in big Northern city are so miserable and vicious because they don't smile.

Under Armour male models never smile.

r104 Smiling attracts people. And when you live in a big city you don't want to socialize with complete strangers. Especially when walking the streets or on public transportation.

I have noticed that I am like catnip to women as I show them my indifference. I have to pretend to be straight and fascinated by them to get them to ignore me.

And yet women are complaining all the time about how messed-up men's emotions are. The dears.

Male models don't smile

I find smiling faces tell lies

R107 women clearly feel sorry for you in your natural state and repulsed by you as a potential heterosexual. It has nothing to do with this study.

I like men who smile...I guess I am unusual.

Women accept the love they think they deserve. No wonder they like jerks!

[quote]Smiling men less attractive to adult little girls pretending to be women.

There, fixed that for ya.

I also get a kick out of this puerile study assigning adjectives like "proud" and "confident" to non-smiling females, rather than moody or sullen; males couldn't possibly be turned-off by moodiness - they must be threatened by the female's strength.

[quote]Every time I go to a gay bar, at least a dozen guys come up to me and say, "Smile." In reality, it's the fact that I'm not smiling that probably turns them on.

I know this was posted years ago, but I think this is true to some extent. In my younger days I was ALWAYS being told to smile. Now that' I'm approaching my late 40s, I can't remember the last time someone told me to smile; I think it's because I'm not attractive enough anymore, so nobody bothers to say this to me now.

Men Are expected to be serious, stoic, strong, not vulnerable

Hmmm