Classical music 'makes women more attractive' online

19 September 2013, 14:54 | Updated: 19 September 2013, 15:52

The type of music soundtracking personal web pages is linked to how attractive the owner is seen to be, with female website owners playing classical music being rated highest.

New research published in Computers in Human Behavior reveals a relationship between the type of music used on someone's personal webpage and whether they are seen as attractive by the opposite sex.

Researchers Qinghua Yang and Cong Li from the University of Miami created four versions of a personal website containing identical information about the owner's hobbies and interests. The websites were then randomly matched with two different soundtracks: Mendelssohn's Song Without Words, and Lost in the Headlights by metal band Pelican.

After viewing the pages for four minutes, men taking part in the study found women more attractive if classical music was playing in the background, whereas women perceived men to be better-looking if their webpage had a heavy metal soundtrack.

Yang and Li noted these results have practical implications for singles: "Adopting the 'right' music may also help people become socially desirable," they said.