London - It will come as no surprise to Hollywood casting agents – but researchers have discovered that the most appealing men are tall, macho and 35.
This emerged as the best combination in tests where the faces of real people were manipulated with computer technology and shown to a panel of 600 volunteers.
Men who had been made to look taller and more masculine gained the highest marks. The scoring – judged in terms of apparent dominance – peaked when the models seemed to be aged around 35.
A spokesperson for the St Andrews University team said the study shed light on the casting choices made by film studios, since male leading roles are often played by actors who fit the dominance description. Ryan Gosling and Jake Gyllenhaal are both 34, while Superman actor Henry Cavill and Magic Mike star Channing Tatum are 35.
Carlota Batres, who led the research, said: “A dominant appearance in male faces is associated with a variety of social outcomes, ranging from high rank attainment of cadets in the military to high levels of sexual activity in teenage boys.
“Dominant people are also favoured as leaders during times of intergroup conflict and are more successful leaders in the business world.”
Professor David Perrett, also of St Andrews, said: “Such perceptions may also follow reality: taller men being more formidable opponents and strength increasing with age until a man gets to his mid-thirties.
“Plus, by 35, a man has likely built up enough knowledge to make him seem authoritative or even cunning.”
Batres pointed out that height was not always an impediment to fame.
“Tom Cruise is interesting because he does get cast to play a lot of dominant roles and he isn’t very tall. They often try to fix that by making sure he never looks too short compared to the other actors though.”
Daily Mail