Around the world, men typically seem attracted to women with dainty feet, Daniel M. T. Fessler, an associate professor of anthropology at UCLA, and other researchers have found based on studies in 11 countries. The results showed a near-uniform preference (among both male and female participants) for women with feet that were small relative to their height. Feet tend to flatten and widen with weight gain and age, which may explain why the participants associated small feet with youth; the researchers believe that men's preferences have evolved in line with the desire for a mate who is young and healthy.