A good father is all in the face

Women can work out whether a man will make a good father just by looking at his face, research shows.

Photo: A good father is all in the face

Simply studying a photograph can give them subconscious clues that he likes children - and would therefore be a good long-term partner.

Scientists behind the discovery believe it adds an important dimension to knowledge about mate selection among humans, reports Daily Mail.

According to Scotsman, this feminine "radar" helps women determine if they are attracted to someone for a long-term relationship.

The researchers also found that women's judgements of men's masculinity accurately reflected their testosterone levels, meaning they may be attracted to this type for short-term relationships rather than as potential husbands.

Dr James Roney, the lead researcher, from the University of California at Santa Barbara, said: "Our data suggest men's interest in children predicts their long-term mate attractiveness even after we account for how physically attractive the women rated the men."

The researchers, writing in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, recruited 39 male undergraduates, who were tested for testosterone levels and questioned about their affinity with children.

The men were shown pairs of pictures, one depicting an adult and the other a baby, and asked which they preferred.

David Perrett of the University of St Andrews, UK, who researches the attractiveness of faces, agrees: "Men who may be more positive in interaction with offspring - and perhaps with others in general - are seen as attractive for marriage or long-term relationships.”

Maestripieri also hypothesises that men who have a greater interest in children have less masculine faces, though there is no direct evidence to support this idea.

In fact, men with more interest in children may simply have a happier disposition. Five female graduate students were asked to rate the photographs of faces in the study in terms of how cheerful the men appeared. Men who had preferred the infant photos to adult photos were perceived as happier, informs New Scientist.