(BlackDoctor.org) -- I recently had a very interesting conversation with several guys about whether they preferred women with long or short hair, and though I was not surprised that the overwhelming response was a preference for long hair, it did surprise me that these same men did not want a woman they were in a relationship with to wear extensions to achieve that long hair. The reasons ranged from the preference for their mate to be “natural,” to the idea that extensions attract too much attention from the opposite s*x. This conversation made me want to research the subject of men’s overwhelming love of long hair.
Women spend a great deal of time, money, and attention making their hair as attractive as possible. While, in theory, this energy is often spent in order to make a woman feel more confident, it also serves to make that woman more attractive to men. Fashion and beauty magazines perpetually offer tips and advice on how women can make their hair as appealing as possible to men.
Recently a poll was done by researchers that concluded that men prefer women with long hair. I know, surprise, surprise. When you ask a man what length of hair he prefers on women, 9 times out of 10 he will say long. This question was asked on Yahoo Answers, and a few other sites on the web. And nearly all the men asked, responded yes, they prefer long hair on women. In another poll, done by the Daily Mail Reporter, researchers did a survey of 3,000 men, and 43% of the men polled preferred long hair. 80 percent of the men said they definitely notice if a woman changes her hair, while 18 percent said they rarely notice when a woman changes her hair.
General Poll Results:
Long and Wavy: 43%
Long and straight: 13%
Mid-length straight: 9%
Mid-length wavy/curled: 3%
Why do men prefer long hair on women?
All the men who answered yes to the question, said they prefer a woman to have long hair because it s*xy. There’s just something about long flowing curly or wavy hair that they consider incredibly attractive. They indicated that they like shiny, touchable hair without a lot of styling products, and said they liked to run their fingers through it. In general, they equated long hair with being very feminine.
A woman's hair is considered her "crowning glory" according to the bible. This is not to suggest that you shouldn't wear your hair short, but meaning that this is a woman's most alluring feature. Just as important as a pretty face, nice hair complements you as well.
Tamás Bereczkei, PhD, professor of psychology performed a study in which images of female faces were given varying lengths of hair and then evaluated by men on their attractiveness. “Longer hair had a significant positive effect on the ratings of a woman’s attractiveness; shorter styles did not,” says Bereczkei, who notes that long hair increases the perception of good genes. “Hair is thought to be a track record of your health.” One accurate indicator of health is physical attractiveness; another is hair. Healthy women have lustrous, shiny hair, whereas the hair of sickly people loses its luster. Because hair grows slowly, shoulder-length hair reveals several years of a woman's health status.
Whether it is long or short, you should wear it in a stylish and flattering manner. Some women have features that go along with short pixie styles, like Halle Berry and other women look better with it long. It's really a matter of what looks good on the individual. Always go with what looks good on you, not what any body else says you should do. Ultimately looking your very best should be what's important anyway!
In one study published in the research journal Human Nature, researchers found that women who had originally been rated by a test group as being less attractive were rated far more highly when shown with a longer hairstyle. The experimenters concluded that
longer hairstyles increase women's attractiveness in part because longer hair helps to disguise less desirable features. Long hair tends to make the jaw line slimmer and less prominent and draws attention away from undefined cheekbones. Also, as described by many men, long hair also contributes to a more feminine and youthful appearance.
In most of these polls and research groups, most men admitted sometime else rather surprising. They confessed that a woman’s hair length and style did depens on the individual woman's face shape and features. Not everything looks the good on everybody. Some women don't look good with long hair, and most don't look good with short hair.
So, whatever length you choose, keeping your hair healthy and well cared for will ensure that men find your hair attractive. While men may report preferring long hair, it takes more than long locks to make a great relationship. If it looks good on you, long hair may help you get a man but it may not necessarily guarantee that you will keep that man.
Posted By: Siebra Muhammad
Sunday, June 6th 2010 at 5:44PM
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