What women (and men) really want...

An age-old dating rule has been found to ring true. Men make a beeline for good-looking women while women are attracted to wealthy men, according to a team composed of researchers at Indiana University, Humbolt University in Berlin, the London School of Economics and Edinburgh University.

The study of 46 people in a speed-dating session in Germany found a difference between what daters said they wanted in a mate and the qualities they chose.

Participants said they wanted people like themselves, but men sought attractive women, and women went for men who had material wealth and security, basing their standards on how attractive they rated themselves.

The study also suggested that women were more choosy. The men in the study wanted to see every second woman again, on average, while women wanted to meet only about a third of men again.