If you 're single and struggling to find a girlfriend , you might want to consider a change of profession . Because a study has found that women are more attracted to men who display heroic traits such as war heroes , successful sportsmen and firemen . However , the study found the opposite was n't true , and men did not find heroism to be a sexually attractive trait in women . Phwoar : A Study by the University of Southampton says women prefer war heroes . They are also attracted to other heroic professions like being a fireman . However , men prefer women to not be in a heroic profession . 'Only males seem to benefit from displaying heroism , ' said Dr Leunissen from the university . The study was carried out by the University of Southampton and published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour . In the research 92 women studying in the UK were presented with hypothetical profiles of the opposite sex , representing varying levels of heroism in different contexts such as warfare , sport and business . They were then asked a series of questions designed to determine how attracted they were to the different profiles . Women were more likely to find a soldier attractive , and were more inclined to date him , if he had been awarded a medal for bravery in combat . Ladies should behave like men if they want to work in male-dominated industries , according to a controversial study . Research by Professor Ann Marie Ryan , a psychologist at Michigan State University , suggests recruiters prefer more masculine traits to those commonly associated with women . She asked women to apply for leadership roles in male-dominated industries such as engineering in front of a panel of volunteers asked to evaluate the candidates ' suitability . Some of the women were asked to emphasise 'masculine-like ' traits such as assertiveness , independence and raw ambition . Others were asked to display more 'feminine traits ' - warmth , supportiveness and a nurturing nature . The panel , irrespective of the gender of those sitting on it , decided that leadership required more dominant and assertive traits to be shown during the interview process . But whether or not a non-decorated soldier had seen combat in a warzone or remained in the UK did not have a statistically significant effect on his attractiveness . Displays of heroism in other fields , such as in sports or in business , also had no effect on how likely women were to find them attractive . In a subsequent experiment by the researchers , 159 women and 181 men studying in Holland took part in a similar exercise to determine their level of sexual attraction to the opposite sex . This time , the soldier profiles displayed various levels of bravery , either in combat or by helping in a natural disaster zone . Again , heroism in combat increased women 's levels of sexual attraction towards male soldiers , but heroism in a disaster zone had no impact . Female heroes , both in combat and in disaster zones , were deemed less attractive by men than their non-hero counterparts . 'This provides evidence for the hypothesis that gender differences in intergroup conflict can have an evolutionary origin , as only males seem to benefit from displaying heroism , ' said Dr Joost Leunissen , a psychologist at the University of Southampton . 'In light of the physical dangers and reproductive risks involved , participating in intergroup aggression might not generally be a viable reproductive strategy for women . 'Heroism also seems to be a context-specific signal , as it only had an effect on attractiveness in a setting of intergroup conflict . 'Indeed , soldiers who displayed heroism were only considered to be more attractive when this was displayed in a warfare context and not in another situation which is frequently associated with the army - helping during and after natural disasters . ' Hot stuff : Being a fireman ( stock image shown ) was one profession rated as being attractive by women in the study . However , Displays of heroism in other fields , such as in sports or in business , also had no effect on how likely women were to find them attractive . The experiments follow on from a historical analysis undertaken by the research team , which looked at numbers of children fathered by US Medal of Honor recipients in the Second World War compared to the numbers of children fathered by regular veterans . The analysis shows Medal of Honor recipients had an average of 3.18 children , while regular veterans averaged 2.72 children , suggesting decorated war heroes sired more offspring than other veterans . 'Raids , battles , and ambushes in ancestral environments , and wars in modern environments , may provide an arena for men to signal their physical and psychological strengths , ' said Dr Leunissen . 'Of course , women may not always witness these heroic acts in person , but such information is likely to be widely communicated within a tribal community , particularly when the actions of male warriors are outstandingly brave . ' The study team was made up of researchers from the University of Southampton , UK ; University of Giessen , Germany ; Technical University of Munich , Germany ; and VU University Amsterdam , the Netherlands .
Study by University of Southampton says women prefer war heroes . They are also attracted to other heroic professions like being a fireman . However , men prefer women to not be in a heroic profession . 'Only males seem to benefit from displaying heroism , ' said Joost Leunissen from the university . The team also found Medal of Honor recipients had more children .