Women are more attracted to the masculine guys for short-term flings. But for long-term relationships, they preferred the guys who liked babies, the AP reports.
Men considered more masculine-looking tend to have prominent face bones and squarer jaws, like the actor Mickey Rourke, whereas the men who were deemed to like baby pictures tended to have rounder faces, like Tom Hanks. In a new study, women who were shown pictures of men looking at baby pictures were often able to accurately judge the men's masculinity as well as their interest in babies, the AP reports.
The study included 39
University of
Chicago male students age 18 to 33. Researchers measured the men's testosterone levels and asked them to look at baby pictures.
Testosterone is a male hormone. Studies have suggested that testosterone might contribute to facial features such as wide jaws or jutting brows, said
University of
California,
Santa Barbara psychologist James Roney, lead author of the study.
Testosterone also might make men more aggressive. For example, one study found that hockey players with high testosterone levels spent more time in the penalty box. But other studies have found no such link, Roney said.
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