Illustration: Xia Qing/GT

Why do many men prefer bigger breasts? Finally, there is a scientific explanation: It is because they are, well, poorer. Poorer men like bigger breasts.

According to a study Resource Security Impacts Men's Female Breast Size Presences by British researchers Viren Swami and Martin Tovée, men's preferences regarding breast size depend on how comfortable they feel about their survival.

They recruited 266 Malaysian men from different social backgrounds and found that the richer men, and men who had just eaten, found smaller breasts more attractive.

It is understandable that when a man's living standard worsens, he is more likely to be attracted to something that gives him a sense of security, like big breasts, a sign of femininity and an indicator of fertility.

But when I read this news, I was equally excited and confused. Is it just richer Malaysian men or richer men in general who prefer women with small breasts? And what is it about men and women's breast size?

According to a 2013 study published in the Archives of Sexual Behavior, the female breast size most desired by men is "medium." It also emphasized that "medium" is a relative term and that all preferences are totally "normal." Maybe I should tell my girlfriends to stop eating those carrots and pumpkins from now.

But, if size doesn't matter, then how do you explain guys always checking out girls with big boobs?

Again, scientifically speaking, guys look at boobs of all sizes, according to researchers in New Zealand's 2009 eye-tracking study.

The study discovered that the men often check out women with big breasts because they are "shocked to discover the variations in breast size."

Well, if that is true, maybe some Asian women should be more tolerant when they catch their boyfriend or husband checking out some larger-than-average boobs because they tend to be less common in Asia.

I am a size 70B. I was a 70A when I was slimmer. Whenever I shopped for a bra, I would tell them, "Just give me the smallest bra you have."

Like many women, I wished I had bigger boobs. But, honestly speaking, smaller boobs make my life easier because when a man talks to me, he usually looks straight into my eyes, not at my boobs.

I asked my male friends about men's view of women's breast size. Here is what they said:

"I prefer when they are not too big. I feel sorry for her when I see her running," said friend No.1

"Size doesn't matter as long as she looks great," said friend No.2.

"I fall in love with the woman, not her breasts," said friend No.3.

Still, I cannot confirm that richer men prefer smaller breasts. But nowadays, small breasts or even flat breasts are the new sexy. Many fashion magazines are saying women with smaller breasts look even better in deep-V dresses and skirts with tight tops.

Next time when people ask my size, I will probably tell them, "I am size sexy."

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.