Conventional wisdom states that men who are good-looking, single and earn a fortune have few problems finding themselves a partner.
But according to British research published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, it is actually Mr Average who is more likely to get the girl.
Why? Because women appear to believe that high-flyers such as architects and company directors would not make as good fathers as, for example, teachers, gardeners or postmen.
Researcher Simon Chu of the University of Central Lancashire told the BBC that high-earning career men were perceived as being "too good to be true".
"Under particular circumstances, high socio-economic status in males can be subtly counter-productive in terms of attractiveness as a long-term partner.
"We suggest that females see physically attractive, high status males as being more likely to pursue a mating strategy rather than a parenting strategy."
