Do you find people who conform sexier than people who are nonconformist, or is it the other way around? We know that some personality types like to play by the rules and are more likely to march in step than others. Does that affect their attractiveness?
A study out of Australia has sought to confirm or deny conventional wisdom about sex appeal and conformity. That conventional wisdom held that women preferred rebels whereas men prefer conformist women. This small study suggests conventional wisdom had it wrong. Not only did
women prefer “rebels” when it came to conforming, men also preferred women
who marched to the beat of their own drummer. Interestingly, it also seems that women generally overestimated the extent to which men preferred women
who were conformist.
Let’s face it. Who doesn’t find a person of either sex who is bit more daring and adventurous interesting? Consider the sex symbols society raises to prominence. Many have an aura of danger, eccentricity or power, and display at least some disregard for convention. Name any major celebrity.
That said, what people find sexy is an individual and sometimes a complex thing. So, rather than declaring one personality type “sexier” than another, the useful take away from the research might be that any type can come across as a little more appealing. All they have to do is give off a bit of a rebel vibe.