happy couple
Julie Hambleton
Julie Hambleton
January 12, 2024 ·  3 min read

Women Are More Likely To Be Happier With Men Who Are Less Attractive Than Them—Here’s Why

Are you lucky in love or have struggled to find a stable, healthy relationship? Well, perhaps this might be part of the reason. In 2017, researchers found that women are more likely to be happier in relationships with men who are less attractive than they are. This is what the study found.

Women Are More Likely To Be Happier With Men Less Attractive Than Themselves

In 2017, researchers from Florida State University decided to study relationships and figure out why some women are happy and others aren’t. Naturally, this is a highly complex topic. One thing they did discover, however, is that women tend to be happier when they are in relationships with men who are less attractive than they are.

To conduct the study the researchers spoke with 113 recently married couples from Texas in their late twenties. The couples were asked many questions and given a questionnaire about their desire to remain in shape and attractive. Evaluators rated the couples on their attractiveness.

The Researchers’ Findings

After comparing the couples’ answers to their questions and the observations made by the evaluators, the researchers came back with some surprising but also maybe not-so-surprising results. They found that generally in relationships where the man was less attractive, he was more likely to compensate with acts of kindness. These include gifts, extra housework, and even sexual favors. The women in these situations reported feeling more valued and happier than women in relationships whose partner was equal or more attractive than they were. This affected the strength of the relationship as a result.

The Relationships Where The Man Was Rated More Attractive

Of course, I am not suggesting that attractive men are jerks who don’t value their partners and don’t treat them with love and respect. The results of the study, however, did show that these women felt more pressure having a highly conventionally attractive husband. They were more likely to be unhappy with their own physical appearance as a result. The women tended to have more obsessive exercise and diet routines than the others.

Social Factors Play A Role

Researcher Tania Reynolds explained that this shows having an attractive partner might have a damaging effect on women’s mental health. This is especially if that partner is generally considered more attractive than they are. She also said that this shows that there are social factors involved in the likelihood of a woman developing disordered eating.

“The research suggests there might be social factors playing a role in women’s disordered eating,” Reynolds said. “It might be helpful to identify women at risk of developing more extreme weight-loss behaviors, which have been linked to other forms of psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse and dissatisfaction with life.”

More Likely To Be Insecure In Their Partner’s Faithfulness

Many people fear cheating in their relationships. A study from the University of Western Australia found that women tend to correlate more “masculine” faces with infidelity. Essentially, they think that the more attractive a man is, the more likely he is to be unfaithful. In a relationship, this can cause suspicion, jealousy, and insecurity.

The Bottom Line

As with all things, just because someone is attractive doesn’t mean they will be unfaithful. Attractive people are also not “doomed” to a solitary life just because they are good-looking. This research shows a part of what may or may not cause women to be happier in relationships. At the end of the day, this is a very complex subject with many factors. In general, it boils down more to you and what you base your partner’s choices on.

Read More: My Husband Said ‘You’re Never Happy Anymore’—Then I Saw My Child’s Face