Good news, guys: Researchers from Northumbria University in England have determined the dance qualities that women find most attractive in men.
For the study, the researchers filmed 19 men age 18–35 with multiple 3D cameras as they danced to a standard disco beat. The footage was then mapped onto a faceless, genderless avatar.
A group of 37 heterosexual women then watched the result, deciding which avatars they thought were most attractive.
The results? Women are more attracted to men who used big movements of the head, neck and torso, and did faster bends and twists with the right knee. Bad dancers were more stiff and unable to move the central areas of their bodies.
“Men all over the world will be interested to know what moves they can throw to attract women,” lead researcher Nick Neave said. “We now know which area of the body females are looking at when they are making a judgment about male dance attractiveness.”
The results confirm previous research that shows women are attracted to bold strong men with good motor skills.
Scientists believe dance floor activity mimics “courtship arenas among animals where the male struts his stuff,” notes Discovery News.
“If a man knows what the key moves are,” Neaves adds, “he can get some training and improve his chances of attracting a female through his dance style.”