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At some point most women have felt a mystifying attraction towards a dude who is, quite simply, the worst, and now researchers have proven that this pull towards bad boys is more than just an unfortunate lapse in judgement?it’s a scientifically-proven fact.
A new research paper published in Evolutionary Psychology looks at whether the whole bad boy look is actually a “short-term mating strategy” used by young men, and found that guys who appear “risky” are actually more sexually appealing to women. Specifically, males who smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol are the ones we find so irresistible. Go figure. MORE: Surprising Former Celebrity Couples You Definitely Forgot Dated

To reach this finding, researchers quizzed 239 Belgian women between the ages of 17 and 30, asking them to read short profiles on men and then rate the guys’ suitability as a potential partner.
There’s one small saving grace though: According to researcher Eveline Vincke, the men who smoked and drank a lot were seen as more attractive to women on a short-term basis. So it doesn’t matter how many wild dudes you hook up with, you probably won’t end up wanting to marry them.

Exhibit A: Pete Doherty. Getty Images

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