Top: Angelina Jolie was attracted to Pitt, who was then married to Jennifer Aniston.

Why are some single, young and attractive females drawn to married men?

A study reveals that single women are attracted to men who are already taken more than the ones who are not, reported the Daily Mail on Monday.

Psychologist Anthony Little said female birds and fish find a male more attractive if they have already seen him in the company of another female.

This phenomenon is known as “mate poaching” and extends to the human world. A study further revealed that single women set their sights on photographs of men who were said to be in a relationship. By contrast, married women were much more interested in men said to be single.

Furthermore, men were rated more desirable when they were pictured surrounded by women then when alone or with other men, the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B reported, the Daily Mail noted.