A scientific study has revealed that men who feel financially insecure or experience hunger are more likely to find larger female breasts attractive.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, was conducted by psychologists Viren Swami and Martin J. Tovée.
The researchers carried out two separate studies in Malaysia and the United Kingdom to determine whether men facing resource insecurity are more inclined to find larger breast sizes physically attractive than men who feel economically secure.
In the first study, 266 men from three locations in Malaysia—representing low-, middle-, and high-income socioeconomic backgrounds—were assessed.
Participants were shown computer-generated images of women with varying breast sizes and asked to rate the images based on physical attractiveness.
Findings from the study revealed a consistent trend across the socioeconomic groups.
Men from low-income rural areas showed a preference for larger breast sizes, those from middle-income towns preferred medium to large sizes, while men from high-income urban areas favoured smaller to medium breast sizes.
According to 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 noted that the lower a man’s level of financial security, the stronger his preference for larger breasts.
The second study examined the influence of hunger on physical attraction.
In Britain, 124 male university students participated in the experiment, with 66 classified as hungry and 58 having recently eaten.
Both groups were shown the same set of images under identical conditions.
Results showed that hungry men consistently rated larger breast sizes as more attractive than their satiated counterparts.
The researchers stated that “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.”
They explained that the findings demonstrate that attraction is not fixed but can vary depending on circumstances.
The researchers added that men experiencing hunger or financial pressure may place greater value on physical traits perceived to signal access to resources or stability.
The study further indicated that short-term conditions such as hunger can influence attraction to a similar extent as long-term economic factors, underscoring the role of social and environmental conditions in shaping perceptions of physical attractiveness.
