Lee Suckling: The body part men compare the most

Men are most likely to pay attention to the chest size and shape of other men than women do. Photo / 123rf

Lee Suckling reveals it's not women who are sizing men up - it's other men.

Heterosexual guys might spend hours a week working out in the gym to impress the opposite sex, but it turns out, it's other men that are looking at your body more than your intended audience of women.

That's the finding of the new study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science. Men are most likely to pay attention to the chest size and shape of other men than women do. A large upper body is synonymous with power and virility. This research (done by showing 82 heterosexual students 3D models of different bodies) found that men fixated on the chests of other men for much longer than women did. This suggests men are concerned (and probably comparing themselves to other men) just as much as we've thought was only typical of how women compare their bodies to each other's.

Why do we do this? Researchers believe it's all about mating success, whilst also incorporating an element of assessing other men's formidability. Having a big chest is perceived by men as being a desirable candidate for love (and baby-making), and therefore when others have a bigger chest than you, guys might worry they'll lose out to more-developed suitors of their chosen mate.

This all sounds primal, as if we're just animals. I completely buy into this argument, however. When I'm at the gym, I'm constantly comparing the size and shape of my chest to my fellow gym bunnies. I watch them on the bench press and note the weight they can push; I get ideas for a bigger chest by stealing others' unique dumbbell techniques from their chest day regimen.

As a society, I'm unsure why we maintain a belief that women-vs-women physical comparisons are more ubiquitous than men-vs-men comparisons. If we apply typical cavemen traits to men, we are technically supposed to be the more competitive ones, aren't we?

I believe this has something to do with homophobia – only in recent years has it finally become okay for a man to compliment another man on their physical appearance. Historically, this was perceived as "gay" and would have to be prefaced with the stupidly-backward disclaimer: "no homo!".

Putting that aside, it's not really a good thing that we're comparing chests all the time. Through body positivity efforts of social media, women have been able to learn that breasts come in all shapes and sizes and none of them are better (or worse) than others. They're just different. Men would do well to understand this too.

A man's chest size is determined by genetics, exercise, and diet. Getting a big chest is a long and very gradual task to undertake for most guys. And it doesn't just require discipline and hard work – some men, no matter how hard they try, just can't get a large upper torso because their physical constitutional makeup just isn't ripe for it.

In that vein, there's more value in accepting the body time you have, and doing the best you can with it. Comparing your body to those of others is only going to end in heartbreak. I, for example, have never weighed more than 70 kilograms and have accepted that my body wants to be lean. I wasn't made to be a muscle queen; I'm the marathon runner, not the Olympic power lifter. Inasmuch, I tailor my workouts and diet to best support this (as my natural body shape) rather than fighting against it.

Fellow men, the same should go for you. If you're a short and stocky type, you can work with that. Be the best "pocket rocket" (a term for fit, shorter guys) you can be. If you're built like a beanpole, stop wasting your time on "big culture" in the gym – you're never going to be Schwarzenegger. Instead, accept your inherent skinny constitution, and focus on feeling the best you can about being a slim dude.

According to the science, you're still going to be obsessed with other men's chests at the gym, but at least you can then keep your comparisons in fantasy land - and not beat yourself up about your reality.