A study based on 4,800 women participants demonstrates that women distinguish quickly--too quickly for conscious deliberation--between different testosterone levels in men as revealed in their facial features. Subjects were asked to look at two photographs of men and select the (photograph of) the men they preferred. The choices were analyzed in terms of the social background of the women subjects. The women preferred more masculine looking men (with facial traits produced by higher testosterone levels) if they were from countries with weaker public health systems and where a more robust masculinity would be beneficial in a mate. They preferred less masculine looking men if they were from countries with stronger public health systems and if they were less dependent upon men. The paired photographs of men were of the same man with one photograph altered to smooth out some of the more masculine features, such as eyebrow density and chin breadth.
Jean Pincott, "The Masculine Mystique," The Wall Street Journal, Saturday, March 27, 2010, W1.
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