According to a recent study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, nearly half (47%) of men will make a woman’s breasts the first focus of a prolonged gaze within the first two tenths of a second when attempting to gauge her attractiveness. The study asked men to rate the attractiveness of nude female figures, and used eye-tracking software to determine where they put their gaze in making the judgment: 47% looked at the figures’ breasts, 33% looked at the waist, and the other 20% looked at the face, legs, or pubic region. The six frontal images used were given either small, medium, or large breasts and had a waist-hip ratio of either 0.7 or 0.9. Medium-sized breasts were judged the most attractive overall, but this was not a significant effect. Attractiveness ratings were largely associated with the figure’s waist-hip ratio, with the 0.7 figure receiving significantly higher ratings, but where the men’s attention lingered depended on the size of the breasts. For the figures with large breasts, men’s gaze went more often and stayed longer on the breasts than with either the small or medium breasts. Oddly, though, medium-sized breasts were actually associated with more time spent lingering on the figure’s face. Although this effect is not pronounced, it may represent that medium-sized breasts are more “normal” and allow the viewer to take more factors into account when judging attractiveness. Based on this research, it is understandable that women with small breasts may feel less feminine or attractive, since they can tell how men are judging them. If this affects your self-confidence, breast augmentation may be able to help. If you feel the size of your breasts makes you less attractive and does not make you feel as confident as you would like, breast augmentation may be able to help. To learn more about your breast augmentation options, please contact Philadelphia plastic surgeon Dr. David Broadway to schedule a consultation today.
