Feminine guys better for long-term love - study

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WORLD / Health

Feminine guys better for long-term love - study

(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-08-09 14:52

Women see masculine-looking men as more unsuitable long-term partners but
men with more feminine features are seen as more committed and less
likely to stray, researchers said Wednesday.

A woman watches a bodybuilder train at Muscle Beach in Venice,
California, in July 2007. Women see masculine-looking men as more
unsuitable long-term partners but men with more feminine features are
seen as more committed and less likely to stray, researchers have said.
[Agencies]

Scientists at the universities of Durham and St Andrews came to the
conclusion by asking more than 400 British men and women to make
judgments on character after looking at digitally-altered pictures of
men's faces.

The web-based test asked participants to rate the face for traits such as
dominance, ambition, wealth, faithfulness, commitment, parenting skills,
and warmth.

Men with square jaws, larger noses and smaller eyes were classed as
significantly more dominant, less faithful, worse parents and as having
less warm personalities.

Those with finer facial features, fuller lips, wide eyes and thinner,
more curved eyebrows on the other hand were viewed as a better bet for
long-term relationships.

And healthier-looking faces, for example those with better complexions,
were seen as more desirable in terms of all personality traits compared
to those who looked unhealthy.

Older faces were also generally viewed more positively compared to
younger ones.

The scientists said there was a "high amount of agreement" between women
about what they see in terms of personality when seeing a man's face and
they may well use their impression to decide whether or not to engage
with him.

"That decision-making process all depends on what a woman is looking for
in a relationship at that time of her life," said Lynda Boothroyd, from
Durham Universitys Department of Psychology.

Her colleague, David Perrett from St Andrews, said: "Our results
contradict claims that machismo denotes fitness and disease immunity.
Masculinity may buy you dominance but not necessarily tip top physical
condition.

"Instead women see a healthy guy as the source of wealth, and fit for
family life."

The research is published in the latest edition of the journal
"Personality and Individual Differences".

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