Dating and sex secrets 'hidden in people's faces'
Wednesday, 09 Apr 2008 15:16
People can tell what sort of relationships others are after, study suggests
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The look of love really does exist, according to UK researchers.
Scientists at the universities of Durham, St Andrews and Aberdeen found that suitors can tell a young person's attitude to sexual relationships by the look on their face.
A study using 700 heterosexual participants showed they could accurately judge from photographs who would be more interested in a short-term sexual relationship or a long-term relationship.
The research also found that men generally prefer women they perceive are open to short-term sexual relationships while women are usually interested in men who appear to have potential to be long-term relationship material.
In the study, the participants were shown pairs of photographs or facial images of men and women in their early 20s with two opposing attitudes to relationships.
Each participant was asked to choose the face that they felt would be more open to short-term sexual relationships, one-night stands and the idea of sex without love.
They then chose the face they thought was the most attractive for a long or short-term relationship; who was more masculine or feminine; and who they thought was generally attractive.
Men who were more open to casual sex were generally perceived as more masculine-looking, with squarer jaws, large noses and small eyes.
Women participants saw masculine men as more likely to be unfaithful and make worse parents and therefore less attractive for both short and long-term relationships.
Dr Lynda Boothroyd from Durham University's psychology department, said: "Our results suggest that although some people can judge the sexual strategy of others simply from looking at their face, people are not always sure about their judgements possibly because the cues are very subtle. Yet preferences for different types of face were actually quite strong.
"This shows that these initial impressions may be part of how we assess potential mates - or potential rivals - when we first meet them. These will then give way over time to more in depth knowledge of that person, as you get to know them better, and may change with age."
