A new study of what men and women are looking for in a partner doesn't do a whole lot to dispel stereotypes.

Superdrug Online Doctor asked over 1,100 people in the US and Europe about their ideal hypothetical romantic partner and found that generally, men are looking for ladies who are thinner than average — and considerably younger.

Meanwhile, women tend to want men who are taller than average, with over half wishing for a guy who is six feet or taller.

Superdrug Online Doctor asked over 1,100 people in the US and Europe about their ideal hypothetical romantic partner

Shallow: Men said they wanted women with below-average weight, and who are generally much younger than they are

When asked to describe their ideal partner by weight, almost half (47 per cent) of men said they prefer a woman who is of below-average weight, compared to 42 per cent who chose average weight.

Women, on the other hand, prefer a man who's average on the scale (67 per cent), and are even slightly more forgiving of a partner who is above-average (15 per cent, compared to 11 per cent of men).

But while men may have high expectations for a woman's slenderness, women have high expectations for a partner's height.

Seventy-seven per cent of women said their ideal partner is above-average height (versus 21 per cent who said average). Men prefer their women right in the middle, height-wise, with 40 per cent saying 'average' is their ideal.

So how many inches are best? Exactly half of women said their ideal partner is six feet tall or taller (though many others were also quite happy with a man who is 5'10").

Extra height: Women tend to want men who are quite tall, with 6 feet or taller being ideal

Beard: Women were also asked to share their attitudes about facial hair

Phew! Luckily, the top important attributes for both sexes weren't shallow ones

For men, the ideal partner is 5'4", though over a third said a woman who is 5'8" would make them most happy.

Women also responded that they are looking for men who are more muscular than average — though both sexes prefer a partner with above-average athleticism.

They survey also examined attitudes toward facial hair in men — with the most, 30 per cent, preferring a guy who is clean shaven — but it explored more than just physical attributes.

When it comes to age, women tend to want a man who is just a tiny bit older, no matter her age. But men nearly always prefer a younger woman — and the older they get, the younger they expect their women to be.

For example, 23-year-old women said they'd like a man 3.4 years older than they are, 35-year-old women said 2.2 years, and 44-year-old women said 2.3 years older.

Realistic: Also, many men sand women said it's not incredibly important that their partners match their 'ideal' preferences

Party people: Most people of both sexes are looking for a partner who is neutral or somewhat extroverted

But starting at age 23, men are looking for younger women, with the difference in age mostly growing as they age.

Men who are 39 want a woman 7.6 years younger, and 47-year-old men want a woman 9.6 years younger.

While all of these facts and numbers can seem incredibly disheartening, though, it's worth noting that the more shallow attributes like weight, height, and age are not what most people find to be the most important.

When asked to describe their ideal man, women used the words 'funny' or 'humorous' the most, followed by 'smart' or 'intelligent'. Other top words included 'tall', 'kind' or 'nice', 'handsome', 'honest', and 'caring'.

For men, the top words for an ideal woman were also 'funny' or 'humorous', followed by 'smart' or 'intelligent'. Next were 'kind' or 'nice', 'cute', 'beautiful', and 'blonde'.