Men's Preferences for Female Facial Femininity Decline With Age

The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences
Urszula M MarcinkowskaMarkus J Rantala

Abstract

Women tend to have a smaller chin, fuller lips, and rounder eyes than men, due in part to the effects of estrogen. These features associated with facial femininity have been found to be positively associated with fertility. Although young men in their 20s typically judge facial femininity as more attractive than facial masculinity, at all ages, men with higher sexual desire and testosterone levels tend to show a marked preference for feminine faces. In the current study, we extend this research using a large cross-national sample to test the hypothesis that facial femininity preferences will be stronger among younger men than among older men. We also tested whether these preferences are influenced by self-reported sexual openness, national health indices, and gross national income. We quantified attractiveness judgments (i.e., preferences) among 2,125 heterosexual men (aged 17-73 years) for female faces that were manipulated to appear more or less feminine using a computer graphics program. Facial femininity preferences decreased with age, being highest among men in their 30s and lowest among men in their 70s. This pattern was independent of men's sexual openness and cross-national variation in health and socioeconomic developm...Continue Reading

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Citations

Dec 15, 2015·The Journals of Gerontology. Series B, Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences·Amelia KarrakerDonald Moynihan
Nov 28, 2017·Journal of Evolutionary Biology·J BovetM Raymond
Mar 6, 2019·Scientific Reports·Urszula M MarcinkowskaBarnaby J W Dixson
Sep 15, 2017·Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Cognitive Science·Daniele MarzoliS Craig Roberts
Aug 28, 2021·International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health·Lívia RomsicsEmil Segatto

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