研究：印有字母T的白短T讓男人更有吸引力

英國一項最新研究顯示，前面印有黑色字母T的普通白色短袖T恤能讓男人的吸引力指數提升12%。研究人員表示，印在前面的字母T能造成一種視覺上的假象，讓人感覺穿着者的肩膀更寬、腰部更細，從而使其身形更顯男性標準的V型身材。研究人員指出，那些身材不好的人穿上這種T恤，效果會很明顯；但對那些身材本來就不錯的人來說，這種T恤也就是錦上添花，效果不會那麼突出。不過，要記住的是，這個字母T一定要正着印上去的。如果字母T是倒着印在T恤上，反而會降低穿着者的吸引力指數，因爲倒着的T會讓人們的目光集中在其腰部。

Forget expensive designer clothes, a simple T-shirt could be the best way to capture a woman’s heart.

Wearing a plain white short-sleeved top with a large black letter T printed on the front can make a man up to 12 percent more attractive, scientists claim.

Researchers suggest it creates an illusion that broadens the shoulders and slims the waist, producing a more V-shaped body – a sign of masculinity.

The best results were observed in participants who were most out of shape, with already toned individuals only gaining a slight increase in perceived attractiveness.

In contrast, all those wearing a top with an inverted ‘T’ - with the bar running around their waist - were deemed up to 12 percent less attractive.

It suggests shifting the focus to a man’s gut reduces his desirability.

The team said a waist-to-chest ratio (WCR) of between 0.7 and 0.8 - where the shoulders are around 20 percent broader than the hips - was seen as the ideal.

Nottingham Trent University psychologist Dr Andrew Dunn said: ‘The wider barred ‘T’ seems to emphasize the upper chest when upright, which accentuates men’s ‘optimum’ shape. The opposite happens when inverted.

‘WCR is one of just a number of body measures that humans use to judge attractiveness and health.

'Our ability to detect, process and use this information appears to be implicit.

'The brain and sensory mechanism underpinning this are probably evolved and are almost certainly managing what we look for and how we respond.

‘The effect was most notable for normal men with a waist as wide as their shoulders.

Whereas with those who are already in good shape, the T was simply amplifying the body shape they already had, so the benefit was less marked.’

The study involved showing 30 female undergraduates, aged 18 to 25, images of five different male body shapes and asked them to mark their perceived attractiveness and health.

Each male model wore a plain white t-shirt with no T, and with an upright and inverted T-illusions of varying shapes and sizes.

The results showed that upright T-illusions increased attractiveness and health perceptions. Dr Dunn said the horizontal bar on the T-shirt had to be as equal or longer than the vertical bar for optimum effectiveness.

He said: ‘Clearly there are individual tastes and preferences, but we can see here how fashion could have an implicit positive or negative effect on perceived attractiveness and health.

‘It suggests that you can use this kind of optical illusion that artists and fashion designers use all the time to tap into our basic sensory psychology.’