Women like men with feminine faces--study
POSTED April 26, 2011 - 15:52 | POSTED BY Silky Chandvani
Last edited by Jaspreet Virk on April 26, 2011 - 16:36
Many studies in past have established that people are generally drawn to those who fit the conventional notion of attractiveness, 'masculinity' in men and 'femininity' in women, the Businessweek reports.
However, psychologists Christopher P. Said of New York University and Alexander Todorov of Princeton University are of the view that attractiveness is much more complex than previously thought.
One of the lead researchers, Christopher Said said in a press release, “This paper helps sort out the uncertainty about whether masculinity is attractive or not in male faces.”
Study details
In order to test what makes a face appealing to the opposite sex, the researchers arranged two groups of men and women, who were shown thousands of computer generated pictures and asked them to rate opposite-gender.
The study, which used a computer model to identify and measure complexities in the nature of attractiveness, tested 50 dimensions of facial features including nose size, plumpness of lips, and facial coloring.
The study is slated to appear in the upcoming issue of 'Psychological Science,' a journal of Association of Psychological Science.
Findings
The investigators found that men were typically inclined towards women with feminine facial features (like shape and reflectance), while women preferred men with masculine reflectance (dark color) but a feminine shape.
Findings of the result showed that male and female attractiveness are not equal and opposite, the researchers said.
Another interesting finding of the study is that both men and women find “average faces” attractive, but most average faces aren't necessarily the most attractive.
Limitations of the study
Though the study helps reveal people's opinion of facial attractiveness, lead authors pointed out that their research had some limitations, including participation of a small study group.
Also, the theoretical assessment of attractiveness with the help of a computer program might not be practically correct, as people have unique ways of rating beauty and conclusions might vary when faced with real subjects.
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