ICYMI: Broke, hungry men prefer bigger breasts — Study

A scientific study has found that men who feel financially insecure or hungry are more likely to find larger female breasts attractive.

The research, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, was conducted by psychologists Viren Swami and Martin J. Tovée.

Two studies were carried out in Malaysia and the United Kingdom to examine whether men facing resource insecurity are more likely to find larger breast sizes physically attractive compared with men who feel resource secure.

In the first study, 266 men from three areas in Malaysia were tested. The locations represented low, medium, and high socioeconomic backgrounds. Participants saw computer-generated images of women with different breast sizes and rated which they found most attractive.

The results showed a clear pattern. Men from low-income rural areas preferred larger breasts, while men from middle-income towns preferred medium to large breasts. Men from high-income urban areas preferred smaller to medium breasts.

ALSO READ: DPK, firewood usage for cooking affects both pregnant women, children — Study

As stated in the study, “Men from relatively low socioeconomic sites rated larger breast sizes as more physically attractive than did participants in moderate socioeconomic sites, who in turn rated larger breast sizes as more attractive than individuals in a high socioeconomic site.”

The researchers said the lower a man’s financial security, the stronger his preference for larger breasts.

The second study tested the effect of hunger.

In Britain, 124 male university students were divided into two groups. 66 were classified as hungry, while 58 had recently eaten. Both groups viewed the same images under the same conditions.

Hungry men consistently rated larger breasts as more attractive than men who were full.

According to the researchers, “Hungry men rated a significantly larger breast size as more physically attractive than did the satiated group. Taken together, these studies provide evidence that resource security impacts upon men’s attractiveness ratings based on women’s breast size.”

The researchers said the results show attraction is not fixed and can change depending on circumstances.

They added that men who are hungry or under financial pressure may value traits that suggest access to resources or stability more highly.

The study also showed that short-term conditions, like hunger, can influence attraction just as much as long-term economic factors, highlighting how social and environmental conditions shape perceptions of physical attractiveness.