If you want to look attractive to women, you might want to put down the gaming headset and pick up a paperback. A new survey from Date Psychology, shared by Daily Mail, asked women to rate 74 hobbies as “attractive” or “unattractive” for men, and reading took the crown. A staggering 98.2 percent of respondents said they find it appealing when a guy cracks open a book.

The rest of the top five reads like a dating profile designed to make your mom nod approvingly—learning a foreign language, playing an instrument, cooking, and woodworking. Apparently, cultured hands and calluses from building something other than IKEA furniture have their charm.

Other high scorers included painting, writing, photography, astronomy, hiking, blacksmithing, and archery. Creative and physically engaging pastimes dominated the list, suggesting women prefer men who are making, learning, or exploring rather than just…existing next to a glowing screen.

Men Who Have This Hobby Are the Most Attractive, Women Say

On the other end of the spectrum, the hobbies that tanked your chances included “the manosphere” (that’s the misogyny-soaked online echo chamber), watching porn, gambling, and arguing online. Crypto, cosplay, and comic book collections also landed in the unattractive category for more than two-thirds of respondents. Collecting Funko Pop figures didn’t help, either. Drinking and clubbing weren’t dead last, but they still made the undesirable cut, with dating coach Courtney Ryan noting that making alcohol a “main hobby” often reads as immature.

The Reddit thread swung between approval and pure Tolkien energy. “Archery!!! Did they ask Elves? Blacksmithing!!! And Dwarves?” one person laughed. Yet these so-called fantasy skills have real-world pull—one user met their partner at an archery range. 

Plenty of commenters pointed out that the hobbies at the top of the list tend to be creative, physically active, or intellectually stimulating. The ones at the bottom are mostly about checking out. That doesn’t mean everyone has to suddenly learn the violin or take up stargazing; it just means that curiosity and engagement matter.

One Redditor offered the most grounded advice of the thread—do something you find fulfilling, not something you think will impress. The irony is that genuine interest often ends up being more attractive than the performance of it. And in this case, picking up a book could also help you pick up a date.