Women Judge Potential Partners by their Facial Features
January 28th, 2007 . by SeducingWomen.infoResults from a study conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health suggest that women may judge potential partners by their facial features, even before getting to know them.
The researchers tested about 850 male and female undergraduates, using digitally altered pictures of male faces. The pictures were adjusted to look more “masculine” or “feminine”, and then the students were asked to fill out online questionnaires predicting behavioral patterns based on what they saw.
According to this study, women view men with “masculine features” such as prominent brow ridges and large jaws, as good short-term partners. Men with more “feminine features” including rounder faces and fuller lips were viewed as better long-term partners by female participants.
Women in the study felt that men with more feminine facial features would probably make better parents and husbands, whereas men with more masculine facial features would be more likely to cheat on a spouse and get into fights.
The researchers say that hormone testosterone may play a role in explaining facial preferences. Traits influenced by testosterone, the hormone that promotes the development of male facial and sexual features, including prominent brow lines and larger jaws may be characteristics women want to pass on to offspring. At the same time, an abundance of testosterone has been implicated in violent behavior and infidelity. As a result, women may want longer-term relationships with less-masculine looking men.