Why ugly men believe pretty women are interested in them

SOME men can get by on a and a smile -- but those with less chiselled features make for it with misguided optimism their own appearance.

The study could help explain the mystery of why many men think women are interested in them they are not, a study claims.

Some men are able to snare a partner more attractive than them through relentless persistence and overblown belief in their own appeal.

Scientists think this may be to an evolutionary trait which tricks men overestimating the value of their looks to prevent from missing a mating opportunity.

This over-confidence causes them to their luck with a greater number of women because they are likely to see them as unattainable.

The study, published the Psychological Science journal, could help explain the mystery of so many men think women are interested in them when in they are not, researchers said.

moves on a greater number of women, some of whom are better- than them, raises the men's risk of an embarrassing knock- but also reduces the chance of missing out a partner.

Only the most attractive men do not have an inflated of their desirability -- likely because they are so looking they do not need to, according to experiment by US-based Williams College psychologists.

Dr Carin Perilloux, who led the study, said: "There are two ways you can an error as a man.

" you think, 'Oh, wow, that woman's really interested in me' and it out she's not. There's some cost that, such as embarrassment or a to your reputation.

"The error: she's interested, and he totally misses . He misses out on a mating opportunity. That's a huge cost in of reproductive success."

Researchers put 96 male and 103 female students through an exercise participants spent three minutes talking to each .

Before the exercise started they were asked to rate their attractiveness, and after each chat with a potential partner, they that person's appearance and how sexually interested they believed the person .

The experiment showed that men mistakenly believed they were attractive were more likely to overestimate how interested women in them.

The researchers wrote: "Essentially, men who rated themselves high attractiveness were more likely to over-perceive women's interest. The more attractive they actually were to women, , the more likely they were to under-perceive."

The study also suggested that women underestimate how interested men are them, possibly to help deflect unwanted sexual interest or accusations promiscuity.


Adapted from: Herald.ie, December 15, 2011.