Experts in Germany conducted a study that concluded stress plays a factor how men decide who’s attractive. They explain that men who are under some amount of stress may prefer someone who is dissimilar to themselves unlike the usual resemblance they go for.
There were 50 male subjects who were asked to browse through pictures of 30 erotic models of the opposite sex. The pictures were modified to somehow resemble how they look like. The subjects were all heterosexual, normal weight, no tattoos, no piercing, and cleanly shaved. None of the subjects too recognized that the pictures of the women were altered.
Before the male subjects were asked to look at the erotica pictures. They were asked to dip their hands either in cold or warm water. The proponents tested their blood pressure, heart rates, and measured the levels of cortisol (stress hormone). They found out that those used the very cold water showed some stress while those who dipped in lukewarm water were more relaxed.