Secret of the T-shirt that could attract: Simple white short-sleeved top with large letter can make a man 12% more attractive

Wearing a white t-shirt with the letter T makes men more attractive

The top creates an illusion of a V-shaped, masculine body

Research found men who wore the top were 12 per cent more attractive

Success: The way to a woman's heart is simple - wear a t-shirt

Forget expensive designer clothes, a simple T-shirt could be the best way to capture a woman’s heart.

Wearing a plain white short-sleeved top with a large black letter T printed on the front can make a man up to 12 per cent more attractive, scientists claim.



Researchers suggest it creates an illusion that broadens the shoulders and slims the waist, producing a more V-shaped body – a sign of masculinity.

The best results were observed in participants who were most out of shape, with already toned individuals only gaining a slight increase in perceived attractiveness.

In contrast, all those wearing a top with an inverted ‘T’ - with the bar running around their waist - were deemed up to 12 per cent less attractive.



It suggests shifting the focus to a man’s gut reduces his desirability.

The team said a waist-to-chest ratio (WCR) of between 0.7 and 0.8 - where the shoulders are around 20 per cent broader than the hips - was seen as the ideal.

Nottingham Trent University psychologist Dr Andrew Dunn said: ‘The wider barred ‘T’ seems to emphasise the upper chest when upright, which accentuates men’s ‘optimum’ shape. The opposite happens when inverted.

‘WCR is one of just a number of body measures that humans use to judge attractiveness and health.

'Our ability to detect, process and use this information appears to be implicit.



'The brain and sensory mechanism underpinning this are probably evolved and are almost certainly managing what we look for and how we respond.

Improving chances: Women who were shown images of men wearing the white t-shirt with a large black T were 12 per cent more likely to be attracted to them

‘The effect was most notable for normal men with a waist as wide as their shoulders.

Whereas with those who are already in good shape, the T was simply amplifying the body shape they already had, so the benefit was less marked.’

The study involved showing 30 female undergraduates, aged 18 to 25, images of five different male body shapes and asked them to mark their perceived attractiveness and health.

Each male model wore a plain white t-shirt with no T, and with an upright and inverted T-illusions of varying shapes and sizes.

The results showed that upright T-illusions increased attractiveness and health perceptions. Dr Dunn said the horizontal bar on the T-shirt had to be as equal or longer than the vertical bar for optimum effectiveness.

He said: ‘Clearly there are individual tastes and preferences, but we can see here how fashion could have an implicit positive or negative effect on perceived attractiveness and health.