Why sexist men perceive big boobs 'more desirable'

Men's attitudes toward women influence their thoughts about the ideal breast size, a new study has claimed. 

In the study conducted by the University of Westminster, the researchers interviewed 361 white, heterosexual men, ranging in age from 18 to 68. 

Each man was shown five different 3-D models of women, each with a different breast size, and he was then asked to record which "woman" he found most physically attractive. 

Afterwards, the participants were given surveys to measure each man's level of hostility toward women, his attitudes about relationships between men and women, benevolent sexism and how much he objectified women. 

The study found that 32.7 per cent rated medium-sized breasts as "most attractive," followed by large (24.4 per cent), very large (19.1 per cent), small (15.5 per cent) and very small (8.3 per cent), the Huffington Post reported. 

However, a preference for large and very large breasts was significantly correlated with overt sexism, benevolent sexism, female objectification and hostile attitudes toward women and this connection was strongest when it came to benevolent sexism. 

The researchers said that benevolently sexist men perceived larger female breasts as attractive as larger breast size on a woman is associated with perceived femininity. 

The study has been published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior.