Are Men Shirtless in Bed Perceived As Less Competent and More Promiscuous?
Shirtless men are ubiquitous in modern society – in gym mirrors, on the beach and even on dating apps like Tinder or Instagram. But to me personally, there’s something off about these pictures.
Recent research revealed that men who fill their Tinder profiles with shirtless photos were perceived as less competent and promiscuous. The experiment involved 567 participants viewing fake profiles of a young, white adult man named “Noah,” each profile differing in three dimensions: relationship motivation (interest in casual sex or committed relationship), muscularity and sexualized appearance.
Results revealed that Noah’s characteristics all affected participant perceptions; shirtless profiles were seen as more attractive by both male and female respondents. Conversely, when participants observed Noah seeking casual sexual behavior, they rated him higher for risky sexual behavior, lower in social appeal, and less competent overall.
University of Colorado psychologists conducted a study that revealed shirtless men on Tinder are perceived as less competent and promiscuous. To test this hypothesis, researchers examined the profile pictures of an adult white man who was photographed lying in bed without clothing.
They simulated Tinder by showing Noah’s profile to participants, then asked them to answer a series of questions about it. Utilizing Tinder’s algorithm for analysis, researchers then reevaluated their ratings of Noah.
One of the most intriguing findings was that men who wear no shirt tend to be more reckless with their money than if they were dressed in full armour. Dr Eugene Chan, an associate professor at University of Technology Sydney, suggests this may be because men appear physically fitter and more attractive without clothing, according to research.
Furthermore, the study revealed that men who saw a man without his shirt were more likely to gamble with their time. Those who saw an image of a man wearing a shirt were significantly more likely to play roulette than those who saw only him without it.
According to researcher Eugene Chan, all images included in the study – from shirtless shirt-on-shirt photos to sultry naked-in-bed photos – were highly sought-after. Of all those images, however, Westend61’s sexy in bed image proved the most popular choice among respondents.