In The Long Run, Women Prefer Feminine Looking Men

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen have published research that shows that generally, when women are looking for long term relationships, they prefer feminine looking men. This research is relevant to the Relationships option in Unit 3 of the New AQA-A Psychology Specification.

The research was recently published in the British Journal of Psychology.

In the study, 449 heterosexual women were presented with a series of men’s faces manipulated to look either feminine (with high arched eyebrows, small jaw, large eyes) or masculine (with pronounced brow ridges and jaws).

Lead researcher of the study, Dr Ben Jones from the Face Research Laboratory at the University of Aberdeen said: "We found that a preference for eye contact - signalling social interest - was very sensitive to the type of judgment we asked the women to make, and the type of men they were judging.

"Preferences for direct eye contact from feminine looking men were strongest when we asked the women how attractive the men would be as a long-term partner. We know from previous research that women perceive feminine men as honest, kind and even as ‘good parents’. So it makes good sense that women find attention from these caring and sharing men attractive when they are thinking about who would be attractive as a long-term partner.

"These findings show that there’s more to attraction than being handsome and show that women find different types of men attractive for different types of relationships."

If you would like to see what type of faces you prefer click here

Source: British Psychological Society (Press Release)

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