Single women, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news: there's less competition in the dating pool for the man of your dreams than you probably thought. The bad? There's more choices for them since men are more likely to prefer one type of woman. A thin, seductive type.

Researchers at Wake Forest University classified photos of men and women, ages 18-25, as seductive, confident, thin, sensitive, stylish, curvaceous (women), muscular (men), traditional, masculine/feminine, classy, well-groomed, or upbeat in appearance. A subjective method for sure, but it was necessary to identify the common characteristics that appealed to men and women.

Overall, women showed a small preference for thin, muscular men; however, many women rated those same men as extremely unattractive. There was a great disparity among what women found attractive and unattractive. Men were much more consistent, choosing candidates who were classified as thin, seductive, and confident.

So if you have a type, know there are fewer women vying for him than you probably think. The downside, of course, is that men are more tunnel-visioned when it comes to women, adding another drop in the bucket of reasons women feel the need to conform to a societal standard of beauty. Oh, well. Maybe next study!

Photo by Flickr User BostonBill