Men's Facial Scars Increase Attractiveness

Top 6 Personality Traits Women Want in Male Dating Partners

Jan 13, 2009 Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen

Women are attracted to men with facial scars (such as Brad Pitt!). Here's why they find scars appealing, plus a list of traits women want in potential dating partners.

Brad Pitt has that rugged look that appeals to millions of women (and men) worldwide – and it may be because facial scars increase attractiveness. Here is what researchers found about men's and women's facial scars, plus the top six personality traits that women want in male dating partners.

Men’s Facial Scars Increase Attractiveness

Scientists at the University of Liverpool found that women find scarring on men attractive because they connect it with health and bravery. Non-Western cultures perceive facial scars as signs of maturity and strength – but researchers are just discovering that Western women also find men’s facial scars attractive.

These researchers worked with scientists at the University of Stirling to analyze how women perceive long-term, short-term relationships, and men’s facial scars. The result?

  • Women preferred men with facial scars for short-term relationships.
  • Women preferred scarred and un-scarred faces for long-term relationships.

“Women may have rated scarring as an attractive quality for short-term relationships because they found it be a symbol of masculinity, a feature that is linked to high testosterone levels and an indicator of good genetic qualities that can be passed on to offspring,” says Dr. Rob Burriss, from the University’s School of Biological Sciences, says. “Men without scars, however, could be seen as more caring and therefore more suitable for long-term relationships.”

Why are Facial Scars Attractive?

Dr. Burriss explains that facials scars are appealing because they are signs of bravery. “Scarring on a man was often evidence of his courage and ability to withstand an opponent’s blow,” he says.

This researcher also explains that this study also shows that Western and non-Western cultures are more alike than previously thought. “The perception that scarring is a sign of strength is a view shared by the Yanomamö tribe of Venezuela for example, who use face-paint to accentuate scars that result from ritualised club fights designed to test a man’s endurance against repeated strikes to the head,” says Dr. Burriss.

Do Women’s Facial Scars Increase Attractiveness for Men?

If you’re a woman with a facial scar, and if you’re worried about whether you’re attractive to male dating partners – you can relax! Dr. Burriss and his researchers found that men perceived women as equally attractive with or without facial scars, for both long and short-term relationships.

The research was published in the November 2008 issue of Personality and Individual Differences.

Top 6 Personality Traits Women Want in Male Dating Partners

MeasureUP Place, an online interactive survey website, found the following six traits are most important in male dating partners:

  1. Good Judgment
  2. Intelligence
  3. Faithful
  4. Affectionate
  5. Financially Responsible
  6. Good Father

Women chose these six out of 40 ideal personality traits of male dating partners. A man’s facial scars aren’t personality traits – but women could see those scars as representive of courage and strength.

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The copyright of the article Men's Facial Scars Increase Attractiveness in Psychology is owned by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. Permission to republish Men's Facial Scars Increase Attractiveness in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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