Single women, I have good news and bad news for you. The good news: there's less competition in the dating pool [1] 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 [2]