Women love men with ‘dad bods’ like Travis Kelce — and there’s a surprising scientific reason why

The girlies are into the thick of it — literally.

Sure, musclebound men are hot. And gym rat guys oft get the girl.

But it’s dudes with a little “dad bod” bulk, à la Taylor Swift’s beefy boo Travis Kelce, who truly win the hearts of women.

That’s not pure speculation, it’s science.

“Nearly 75% of singles are fans of the ‘dad bod,’” determined a recent report on body type presences in romance, commissioned by virtual romance hub Dating.com.

“Meaning they like a figure that isn’t super chiseled.”

The findings echo a previous poll via PlanetFitness, which found that 78% of women feel men with dad bods are confident in their own skin, while nearly half of the gals surveyed argued that a bouncy belly is the new six-pack. A whopping 83% of mothers said they’d be proud to have a husband with a wee bit of chub.

But further research revealed that women don’t find portly men physically attractive. Instead, singletons rated flabbier fellas higher on evolutionary fitness traits, calling them “affectionate, nurturant, friendly” and good parent potential. Ultra-macho men with big guns also tend to have high levels of testosterone, causing the opposite sex to perceive them as aggressive and unappealing, per a 2020 analysis.

For Psychology Today, Bucknell University professor and psychologist Joel Wade wrote that “women might find a male they assume to have lower testosterone levels more appealing because he would be assumed to be less aggressive and have characteristics that would make for a better partner — and a better father.”

Additional studies have found that “extremely attractive men are more likely to cheat,” owing to the fact that they tend to have more offers to engage in steamy affairs. Women are less concerned their beau will stray if he’s a chunky hunk.

And even though the pro player isn’t a father, his posh pouch has lusty ladies calling him zaddy.

Kelce, 34, sent tongues wagging after cutting a cushiony physique on the sands of the Bahamas alongside Swift, 34, during their hotsy-totsy beach escape last week.

Fawning fans of the three-time Super Bowl champ, who helped lead the Kansas City Chiefs to victory during the big game in February, couldn’t help but gush over the 6-foot-5 giant’s cutesy little gut.

“Travis Kelce has a dad bod (respectfully and in admiration),” tweeted an unabashed buff of his stuff.

“I’m sorry but Travis Kelce is so hot. I get it Taylor I really do,” chimed an equally excited X user.

“I don’t wanna hear a single thing about Travis Kelce’s body, that man is literally so hot, he does not need to lose a single gram, get out of here,” barked a devotee of the footballer’s fine fluff.

Trending talk of his tummy forced Kelce to explain his not-so-shredded look.

“It’s March!,” said the athlete in defense of his less-than-taut frame while chatting with brother Jason, 36, and New England running back Saquon Barkley, 27, on podcast “New Heights.”

After suggesting that he’s been snacking more now that it’s off-season, Kelce — whose usual gaming weight is around 250 pounds — admitted he’s “in the same weight class now” as Jason, who copped to weighing in at about 283 pounds.

But Kelce is far from the only male VIP to be ribbed for packing on a few.

Teammate Patrick Mahomes, 28, deemed his time off-field “DadBodSZN” after getting teased for flaunting a soft-looking stomach in a shirtless pic.

Hollywood hotshots such as Jason Momoa, 44, and Will Smith, 55, also have unabashedly boasted dad bods in recent years.

But Smith, who once tipped the scales at 224 pounds, publicly vowed to cut the fat in order to regain his cut frame.

“Every day we’d get to the track as the sun was rising and do at least a 30-minute jog or a 10-minute mile run,” the actor’s personal trainer, Aaron Ferguson, told The Post.

In late 2021, the “Bad Boys” star set out to lose “20 pound in 20 weeks,” after months of grubbing during the pandemic. Smith documented his transformation, titled “Best Shape of My Life.”

“Every three days we’d do 45-minute interval workout, which meant we’d run a high-paced, six-minute mile, then jog a lap at a slower pace, then go back to the six-minute mile and repeat,” added the exercise guru.

And although Smith didn’t achieve his goal on film, Ferguson said the training was some of the bigwig’s finest work.

“I’ve worked with Will for almost 10 years now,” said Ferguson. “I’ve never seen him be as emotional and vulnerable as he was during this ‘Best Shape of My Life’ process.”