Women really do fancy men more if they’re richer, study confirms

WOMEN really do fancy rich men more, a study has confirmed.

Blokes like Tesla tycoon Elon Musk, with a high income and top job on online dating profiles, get 3.5 times as many replies.

Women also get more attention if they seem well-off and educated — but the effect is smaller.

Researchers scanned 1.8 million profiles from 24 countries and found it was true worldwide.

Psychologist Dr Andrew Thomas, of Swansea University, said: “A lot of people like to believe this is just a stereotype — but we find it across all cultures in studies dating back to the 1980s, which tells us it’s real.

“It’s perhaps an evolutionary influence for women to maximise the support they get from their partner during pregnancy and early child-rearing.

“We don’t have the same problems as hunter-gatherers but we still have stone-age preferences in our modern society.”

His study rated men by their income, education and jobs, and compared how many replies they got from lonely hearts.

The highest level of “resource-acquisition ability” — education and cash — boosted replies men got by 255 per cent compared to the lowest.

For women, it was 103 per cent.

Women got luckier to begin with, receiving seven to eight times as much attention.

Dr Thomas said the internet is driving both sexes to extreme lengths to look rich or fit to attract a lover.

He said: “A lot of people are very aware that status and physical attractiveness are important.

“They might spend thousands on make-up, clothes and surgery or work seven days a week to make money.

“We used to be in small communities of about 150 people but social media can make you believe there are more competitors around you than there are.”

The study, published in the journal Human Nature, did not include hook-up apps like Tinder but Dr Thomas added they probably “exaggerate the effect”.