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Thursday, April 27, 2006
How women choose their mates
Women are attracted to more masculine-looking men at the most fertile time of their menstrual cycle, psychologists have shown.
During the less fertile times, they choose men with more feminine-looking faces. These are seen as kinder and more co-operative, but less strong and healthy genetically.
A controversial implication of the new research is that, in evolutionary terms, it is natural for a woman to be unfaithful in order to secure both the best genes and the best career for her children.
This is because a less masculine-looking man may be a better long-term partner, but the strongest, healthiest children would be produced by a quick fling with a more masculine-looking man.
However, the head of the laboratory at St. Andrews University where the research was done, Professor David Perrett, told BBC News Online: “This suggestion is a possibility, but we don’t know how behavior is affected by the preferences we see. We’re assuming that preferences for different faces are affecting the choices women make.”
The study was carried out by researchers in Scotland and Japan. They asked women to select the one face from a range that they were most attracted to as a partner for a short-term sexual relationship.
They found that in the most fertile week of their menstrual cycle, women preferred more masculine faces. However, the choice of face did not vary for women using an oral contraceptive (i.e. not fertile) or those asked to choose the most attractive face for a long-term relationship.
The results are supported by previous research which showed that a male hormone smells unpleasant to women, except in the week of fertility. Also, the smells of more symmetrical, and therefore more attractive, men are preferred by women but again only in that week.
Men who look more masculine have higher levels of male hormones and also show a better ability to fight off disease. This makes them attractive as potential mates because their children will inherit this useful characteristic.
Professor Perrett believes that preferences for certain types of faces will have an effect on the partners people choose: “We keep finding very strong links between the appearance of males and their perceived personality. People reckon they can judge personality from the way others look.”
He also points out that there are real links between face form and behavior. For example, a study has shown that more masculine-looking US servicemen are more likely to get divorced and be violent towards their partners.
However, Dr. Paula Nicolson, a psychologist at the University of Sheffield, thinks this kind should not be seen as applicable to everyday relationships.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (April 27, 2006 issue)
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