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Women attracted to altruistic men
14 October 2008
Women really are holding out for an altruistic hero, according to new scientific research.
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A study conducted at the University of Nottingham found that females find altruistic and selfless males the most attractive.
Women were asked to rate different qualities that they found attractive in prospective mates.
The survey of more than 1,000 people found that qualities such as donating blood regularly and volunteering to help out in a local hospital got the highest scores in terms of attractiveness.
A separate study asked 170 couples to rate themselves in terms of how altruistic they thought they were and how altruistic they wanted their partner to be.
The research found that those people who rated altruism as an important feature in a mate were more likely to be in a relationship with an altruistic partner, the Telegraph reports.
Lead author Dr Tim Phillips said: "The expansion of the human brain would have greatly increased the cost of raising children so it would have been important for our ancestors to choose mates both willing and able to be good, long-term parents.
"Displays of altruism could well have provided accurate clues to this and genes linked to altruism would have been favoured as a result."
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