Whether a woman finds herself attracted to big-jawed macho types or softer, more feminine-looking men may be a question of health. A new study of women in 30 countries found that those in places where life expectancy is low and disease rates are high, like Mexico, preferred men with masculine faces; women in healthier countries like Sweden went for more metrosexual faces.
The researchers behind the study chalk up the difference to unconscious evolutionary strategies: A more masculine look suggests a man has strong, healthy genes—what women in disease-ridden countries would desire most for their offspring—while a more feminine-looking man might be seen as more likely to stick around and be a better provider and father to his children, a higher priority for women in healthier countries, the Guardian reports.
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