Tech Insider magazine recently released a list of “11 science-supported traits” that women find most attractive in men.  A sense of humor made the list. Owning a dog seemingly does the trick as well, as does wearing the power color red.

Moreover, according to science, having a good heart full of altruism and philanthropy speaks to a woman’s heart in a special way. So heartfelt depth can’t be overlooked.

And yet, science shows that attractiveness can be pretty shallow too, given that men who drive expensive cars are seen as more appealing to the opposite gender. Is it really true that a man who drives a Porsche or BMW is more attractive than one who drives a Honda or Toyota? Apparently so according to science.

It’s a pretty interesting, albeit somewhat confusing, list. But it’s also intriguing to see what’s not on the list too.

Consider this . . .

I recently stumbled across something that Christian single women find attractive in Christian men that didn’t quite make the science-supported list. It seems to make sense, but I’m not sure Christian men, or science, realize the full magnitude of it.

The non-scientifically proven trait that I’ve stumbled across is none other than a willingness to pray, which may sound super spiritual.  But see if this makes sense, spiritual sense if not scientific sense. . .

Recently I discovered that Christian women find a Godly man who consistently prays for a woman to be an incredibly appealing trait. Who knew it could be that simple? And yet apparently it’s something that speaks not only to the heart of God but also to the heart of a spiritually minded woman.

A couple of years ago I began a daily devotional Facebook page (www.facebook.com/solelydevoted) for Christian singles, and it’s grown quite dramatically, approaching 15,000 followers/likes. It’s nothing too involved, just a simple way to encourage Christian singles in their relationship with God on a daily basis. As it turns out, about 80% of those who follow the page are women, which is important to note when considering the overwhelming response to a post made to “Solely Devoted” not long ago.

The post simply looked like this . . .

That’s it.  Nothing too special.  Nothing too insightful.  Or so I thought.

Because suddenly it went kind of viral. Sort of. Not Bieberish-viral. But as an administrator of a Facebook page, you can keep track of how many people are reached by a post. Typically the more a post is liked and shared and commented on then the more it becomes visible in the newsfeeds of Facebook fans.

Occasionally a post stands out in a notable way on the “Solely Devoted” page as it gains special attention, but this particular post, as simple as it was, began to reach tens of thousands more people than a typical post would ever reach. Basically the 80 percent of Christian women who follow the page began to respond to and spread the post everywhere, and they sent a clear message every time they liked it, shared it, and commented on it.

And it totally surprised me, but maybe it shouldn’t have. Because it got me to thinking . . .

For the believer attractiveness is so much more than exterior physical characteristics or the kind of car you drive. Or even how funny you are or whether or not you have a dog.

For the believer attractiveness is much more than any of that because it’s much more than external criteria, definitely more than that which is just skin deep.

For the believer attractiveness goes straight to the heart, especially when someone has a heart for the things of God.

And when a man consistently and faithfully prays for a woman, it sends a clear signal that:

• He wants God’s best for you
• He believes you have great value and worth in the eyes of a holy God
• He’s thinking about you, albeit praying about you, even when He’s not with you
• You’ve captured a part of His heart that God has also captured
• He’s willing to put you before himself, even in the words of his prayer life
• He’s sensitive to your hurts and pains in life
• He values the deeply spiritual, not just the shallow physical
• He believes God has a purpose and plan for your life through every daily struggle and every momentous success
• He’s a humble man who knows God can do more for you than He ever can

Scientists didn’t come up with this particular finding, and it didn’t make Tech Insider’s list of what makes a man attractive to a woman. Truth is, I stumbled across it rather unexpectedly in a viral sort of way. But after giving it adequate reflection, it just makes sense. Good spiritual sense.

And so for all the Christian single men out there, there’s no doubt that we all do a lot of things to appear more attractive to the opposite gender. And yet a lot of what we do barely scratches the surface. The bigger reality, from the perspective of Godly minded Christian ladies, is that a humble, gracious, God fearing man who’s willing to get on his knees in prayer and pour out his heart on a woman’s behalf may just be the most attractive man alive — both to God and to the watchful eyes and sensitive ears of a spiritually inclined female.

What’s most attractive about a Christian man? It really is something to pray about!