Guys With Guitars Are Sexier, But Why?

When a man picks up a guitar, his sexiness increases, two studies on “the mating advantage of male musicians” have concluded. (The Cut’s slideshow of hotties with guitars, above, confirms.) Pacific Standard reports that a study at France’s Universate de Bretagne-Sud sent a 20-year-old man with “a high level of physical attractiveness” to hit on 300 women using the same script every time. When he was holding a guitar case, 31 percent of the women gave him their phone numbers. Carrying nothing, 14 percent. Carrying a gym bag, 9 percent.

Meanwhile, an Israeli study sent identical Facebook friend requests reading, “Hey, what’s up? I like your photo,” to college-aged single women. Three times as many women accepted the friend request when the man’s profile picture showed him strumming a guitar. When the study was performed in reverse — with women sending friend requests to men — guitars made no difference.

Why are male musicians so hot? Pacific Standard surveys literature on this topic, too: The “sexual selection theory of music” holds that “music grew out of early courtship rituals.” A biological theory points to “a link between musical prowess and testosterone,” due to connections between the hormone and development of the right brain. Sociological theories point to cultural associations between musical talent and celebrity, intelligence, athleticism, and success.

Click on to see a gallery of guitar-playing hotties whom you will be biologically incapable of resisting.