Symmetrical Bodies Have More Sex Appeal, Researcher Reports

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but in the animal kingdom, those with symmetrical bodies seem to be the sexiest.

Biologist Randy Thornhill of the University of New Mexico and his colleagues compared human symmetry with confidential survey data from nearly 1,000 college students.

Men with the most symmetrical physical features tended to have more sex partners than did less symmetrical males, lose their virginity earlier and have female partners with more frequent orgasms.

Symmetry included measurements of facial and body features, from ear size and eye spacing to the breadth of elbows and feet.

However, symmetrical males also tended to be less faithful and more deceptive, Thornhill said. “They say they’re going to the library, but they aren’t.”

Women with the most symmetrical facial features seem to be the most attractive to men, but their sexual behavior was not significantly different from other women’s.