Women are more attracted to rugged men like Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa during times of uncertainty, study finds

During times of uncertainty, women are more attracted to rugged men like Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa, according to researchers at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.

The look is defined by a sharper nose and chin, a more angular jawbone, and higher cheekbones, according to Mail Online. Men, on the other hand, are more attracted to women with ‘tender’ faces, such as Selena Gomez, who have smoother lines, shadows, and outer facial contour, as well as more rounded lips, cheeks, and nose tip.

Women are more attracted to rugged men like Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa during times of uncertainty, study finds

For the men, this is what they see as caring, but for a woman this is a man they see as strong, as it ‘provide[s] a feeling of predictability’.

‘These results show that partner preferences are not fixed, but are affected by fleeting psychological states, such as feelings of uncertainty due to external, unpredictable events,’ they wrote.

For many of us, the past few years have been chaotic, to say the least, with the COVID-19 pandemic, cost of living crisis and ever-changing government.

These external factors can affect our health in a myriad of ways, including through sleep deprivation, brain fog, and depression.

Women are more attracted to rugged men like Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa during times of uncertainty, study finds

The participants were asked to rate the faces on their attractiveness, likeability and how much they would like to go on a date with them.

In the second study, 174 students again had to write a story about an uncertain or certain period in their life.

Next, they had to imagine they were looking for a date, and indicate the extent they would be drawn towards a caring or strong partner.

After analysing the results of the two studies, the researchers found that women found tougher male faces and stronger partners more attractive after reflecting on times of uncertainty than certainty.

Men, however, rated tender faces more highly and looked for a more caring partner under uncertain conditions over certain ones.

For the third study, 141 students were asked to either think of a caring partner who ‘makes [them] feel at home and is comforting’ or a strong partner who ‘provides protection and [they] can rely on when needed’.

They were then told to imagine they were looking to date someone who fits that brief, and asked to rate the faces from the first study by attractiveness.

The results showed that people saw tender facial features as caring and tougher facial features as strong when presented by the opposite sex.

The researchers wrote: ‘We show that when facing uncertainty, women are more attracted to men with tougher versus more tender facial features, whereas men are more attracted to women with more tender versus tougher facial features.

‘These findings have implications for our understanding of how and why partner preferences are influenced by uncertainty.’