title: Men's Preferences for Female Facial Femininity Decline With Age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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.
  
  
  RESULTS
  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 development.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study shows that men's preferences for facial femininity are age dependent. At the proximate level, differences in preferences could reflect age-related declines in testosterone levels. These age-related declines in preferences could benefit older men, who are less able to invest in mating effort, and thus may opt out of competition with younger men for mates with potentially higher fertility.
authors: Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland. ummarcinkowska@gmail.com.|Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland.
authors: Urszula M
authors: UM
authors: Marcinkowska
authors: Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, Sydney, Australia.|School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors: Barnaby J
authors: BJ
authors: Dixson
authors: Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland.
authors: Mikhail V
authors: MV
authors: Kozlov
authors: Uniglobe H.S.S/ College, Kathmandu, Nepal.
authors: Keshav
authors: K
authors: Prasai
authors: Section of Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, Finland.|Turku Brain and Mind Center, University of Turku, Finland.
authors: Markus J
authors: MJ
authors: Rantala
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001504:Beauty; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D000066492:Cognitive Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology*; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D057227:Femininity; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D013739:Testosterone
keywords: Attractiveness; Cognition; Gender differences; Sexual dimorphism; Sexual preferences