London: Can't make out how much to bare
on a night out? Well, ladies, flash just 40 percent of your
flesh to woo Mr Right, says a new study.
Researchers at Leeds University have carried out the
study and found that women should wear an outfit which reveals
40 percent of her skin -- this provides just the right amount
of attention.
For their study, the researchers sent four female
colleagues to one of the city's biggest nightclubs. There,
they stood on a balcony overlooking the dancefloor, and noted
what the female clubbers were wearing and how many times they
were approached by men.
All their observations were taped on dictaphones
hidden in handbags. Seventy hours of recordings revealed that
a man was much more likely to ask a woman to dance than vice
versa, the 'Daily Mail' reported.
Specifically, women who showed off around 40 percent
of their skin were approached by twice as many men as those
who were more covered up, the study revealed.
"Any more than 40 per cent and the signal changes from
'allure' to one indicating general availability and future
infidelity. Show some leg, show some arm, but not any more
than that," lead researcher Colin Hendrie said.
However, some suitors fared better than others.
Hendrie said: "The male couldn't be too thin and he couldn't
be too fat. Most particularly, he couldn't be too tall and he
couldn't be too short. He must be more than a head taller than
the female and certainly not shorter than her."
At least some of the men passed the height test, with
the researchers noting that 30 per cent of people leaving did
so as part of a couple, compared with 20 per cent of those
arriving.
The study has been published in the 'Behaviour'
journal.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 20:57