'Actually, nice guys do get the girl'

It turns out that women actually prefer considerate and charitable men. Photo / Getty

In the battle for the attentions of the fairer sex, nice guys rarely come out on top. Or so we thought.

But it turns out that women actually prefer considerate and charitable men. Researchers found that women who are initially sexually attracted to men start to lose interest when they find out they are cheats or liars.

Spanish psychologists showed men and women pictures of the opposite sex and were asked to rate them on sexual attractiveness. They were then given details that made the characters sound either virtuous or cheats.

Second time around the women were much less attracted to the bad boys - no matter how good looking they were.

The findings, published in the International Journal of Psychology, suggest women have evolved to invest in long-term relationships that they think will allow their offspring to flourish.

However, a man's attitude was unaffected, suggesting they are still programmed to reproduce as much as possible, meaning the moral quality of their sexual partner is less important.

- Daily Mail