It seems men do actually pay attention – when they find the speaker attractive.
A study found men remembered more about a woman when she had an hourglass figure.
Details from her name to her father’s job and favourite food tripped off the tongue when she had a tiny waist and curvy hips.
US researchers say the most likely explanation is that the men had sex on their minds.
University of South Carolina psychologists showed more than 200 men a picture of a young woman accompanied by information about her family, hobbies and hopes for the future.
All of the photos showed the same woman, but the image had been manipulated to make her more or less curvy. The results showed men found women with wasp waists and generous hips the most attractive and remembered the most about them.
In some cases, almost twice as much information was memorised, the journal Evolution and Human Behavior reports.
Researcher Carey Fitzgerald said that human memory had likely evolved to ‘serve our species’s survival and reproductive needs and goals’.
Dr Fitzgerald said: ‘Men’s assessments of women’s mate values are not limited to their appearance.
‘What a female shares about herself and her family would provide crucial information about her likely mate value to men.
‘To illustrate, a very attractive woman who reports she has a menial job, limited education and a history of substance abuse might be perceived as having a lower mate value to professional men looking for the best genes for their future offspring.’
Daily Mail