This quality in men might be even more attractive than good looks and a sense of humour

If you're a straight man who keeps blaming your last-place finish on being a nice guy, think again.

It turns out that altruism is one of the top qualities women are drawn to when looking for a relationship with a man - and this is a trend that studies consistently throw up.

A study in the British Journal of Psychology found that kind, altruistic people are more desirable to the opposite sex - and have more sex.

In the first part of the study, participants who scored high for self-reported altruistic acts (such as giving to charity) reported that they were more desirable to the opposite sex, had more casual sexual partners and had sex more often in relationships.

In the second section of the study, participants who were willing to donate potential monetary winnings also reported having more lifetime sexual partners, more casual sexual partners and more sexual partners in the past year.

Men who were willing to donate also reported having more lifetime dating partners.

In another study from 2016, women chose selfish, attractive men for a one-night stand. But for a long-term relationship, they chose good-hearted men whether they were attractive or not.

Self-proclaimed 'nice guys' may not be so nice after all.

Who knew?

More: Things men do that they think are attractive, but aren't