Women Read Men’s Faces Quite Accurately

Recent studies have revealed that women judge men to be prospective long term partners according to what they read from their faces.

This study included 29 women aged 18 to 20 who examined photos of 39 men, ages 18 to 33. Their ratings were based on whether the men ‘liked children’ or looks ‘masculine’.

Surprisingly enough the women also rated a man's attractiveness as either long-term or short-term.

Study co-author and behavioral biologist Dario Maestripieri, says the women, "were surprisingly accurate in judging men's interest in infants, as well as their masculinity."

Several studies have been conducted to understand this uncanny sense of a woman’s judgement.

Evolutionary biology researchers at the University of Newcastle claim that a man's sex appeal probably lay in his cheeks. They came to this conclusion based on a study of 90 women, who were asked to study 76 men's faces and then rank them in order of attractiveness.

When the women were then shown only a small square of each man's face and again asked to rank these in order of attractiveness it was found that the rankings matched for both tests.

When researchers carried out DNA tests based on particular genes of the immune system on these ‘attractive’ men it was found that these men were also blessed with these “good genes’.

In other words the study claimed that women were subconsciously selecting healthy men with genes that were different to their own in order to give potential offsprings a diverse mix of genes, and a strong immune repertoire.

Scientists at the University of St Andrews have conducted tests that seem to reveal that the modern woman prefers a man in touch with his feminine side.

A computer generated face that was created as a combination of several attractive features of appeal among women has revealed to be surprisingly un- masculine, with no sign of facial hair or ‘rugged’ square-jawed features. Rather it had characteristically female features such as smooth skin, a rounded jawline and large eyes.

It is believed that women judge such men to be a more honest and faithful partner, more able to express their emotions – for many, the ‘ideal man’.

Tony Little, the principal research psychologist said: ‘Women find femininity appealing in a male face because they said they associate it with co-operation, honesty and parental ability.

“Strongly masculine features are considered threatening and less attractive, but they still want some combination involving masculine features because they want dominance, too,’ he said.

This research team at the School of Psychology’s Perception Lab believes that modern women are increasingly looking for a kind of man who helps with household chores and who can be trusted to be faithful.

In fact the move away from macho-man Hollywood movies such as ‘Terminator’ to caring male characters such as Hugh Grant’s in ‘About a Boy’ typifies the need for men to be seen as emotional beings.

Yet all said and done women's assessment of masculine appearance is still culturally governed with good career prospects and six figure incomes conveniently overriding most negative parts of male appeal.