Most people consider good looks and a sense of humor to be the top two traits that women find most attractive in men. But research has shown that altruism (a selfless, philanthropic attitude toward others) is the most important trait for women looking for a relationship, writes "IFL Science".

The research, published in the British Journal of Psychology, showed that altruistic men can have more sex.

Researchers asked unmarried Canadians to what extent they do good deeds such as helping others and donating to charity. After that, they answered questions about the number of partners and how often they have sex.

Men who did more good deeds had more partners and more sex. Of those who were in a relationship, the benevolent men had more intercourse in the past 30 days than the less altruistic ones.

In another study, published in the journal Evolutionary Psychology in 2016, 202 women participated. They were offered pictures and descriptions of different men. Some were very attractive, while others were portrayed as benevolent and willing to help.

Women would choose selfish and attractive men for a short relationship, while altruistic men would choose a long-term relationship, regardless of attractiveness.

A slightly older study, published in the Journal of Social Psychology in 2013, had similar results. The results showed that women valued altruism more than other traits as a measure of whether a potential partner would be a good parent.

Women emphasized that altruism is important even in short-term relationships, but significantly more of them believe that altruism is extremely important for serious relationships and marriage.