Gloomy and frowning men are significantly more attractive to women than smiling and happy representatives of the stronger sex, a scientific study shows. Canadian scientists have come to the conclusion that men who look sad and depressed have a higher chance of winning women’s hearts. The surprising findings help explain why women like ‘bad boys’. According to experts, smiling men do not appear as strong, powerful and masculine in women’s eyes as those who frown or appear arrogant. In comparison, men feel more attracted to happy and smiling women. It is assumed that this is because they prefer more accessible, vulnerable and submissive women, the scientists explain. The study was conducted by a team of psychologists from the University of British Columbia, Canada. They conducted an experiment among 1,000 volunteers, showing them photos of representatives of the opposite sex who expressed different emotions – happy, slightly smiling, widely smiling; with raised heads showing pride, etc. “Showing a happy face can be essential for friendly social interactions, including those related to sexual attraction,” says Prof. Jessica Tracey, who led the study. The results show that women like more pictures of men who look darker, strong or proud. Men, on the other hand, have the opposite preferences – they feel most sexually attracted to women who look happy and positive, and the least to ladies who look proud, confident or sad. The study was published in the American Psychological Association journal Emotion.