05/11 For Long Term, Men Favor Face Over Figure

Studied
For Long Term, Men Favor Face Over Figure
Joerg Steffens/Corbis
By PAMELA PAUL
Published: November 5, 2010

THE GIST Men keen on a short-term relationship are more interested in checking out a woman’s body than are those looking for long-term love.

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THE SOURCE “More Than Just a Pretty Face: Men’s Priority Shifts Toward Bodily Attractiveness in Short-Term Versus Long-Term Mating Contexts” by Jaime C. Confer, Carin Perilloux and David M. Buss, Evolution and Human Behavior.

Never mind those last 10 pounds. According to a new study, men care more about a woman’s face than they do about her body when seeking a long-term relationship.

To determine how men and women rank the relative importance of face versus body, the authors — Jaime C. Confer, a graduate student of psychology; Carin Perilloux, another graduate student; and David M. Buss, a professor of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin — showed 375 heterosexual college students an image of a person with head and body covered up, and described the person as either a potential short- or long-term mate.

Participants then had the option of looking at either the head or body, but not both. Later, they were asked to rate how much more important the face or body was, depending on which they elected to reveal.

Women treated bodies and faces alike, independent of short- or long-term interest. Men, however, made a distinction between face and figure, depending on their intent. Among male participants, 25 percent of those who were told to consider the person as a long-term partner chose to see the figure, compared with 51 percent who chose the body if they were looking at a potential short-term partner.

Here is how the authors explain it: a woman’s face and body signify different things, they say. To put it in clinical terms, facial features are cues of youth and health, and features like large eyes are feminine because “they are sensitive to the rise in estrogen levels that accompanies puberty and persists through a woman’s reproductive lifespan.” This would indicate long-term reproductive value; that is, the time a woman has left to reproduce.

The body, meanwhile, signifies fertility in the here and now. A young and comely pregnant woman, for example, would have a high reproductive value but zero current fertility potential — she is clearly already taken. Evolutionary psychology theory holds that men value current fertility (body) more in a short-term mate and reproductive value (face) in the long term.

But there may be more to a pretty face. “The face is a signifier of emotion and character,” said Roy F. Baumeister, the author of a new book, “Is There Anything Good About Men?” (Oxford University Press). “Men who want a long-term relationship aren’t just interested in reproductive value; they’re also looking for emotional intimacy.”

Does the study sell men’s sights short? “One of the biggest limitations is we didn’t ask participants why they chose face or body,” Ms. Confer said. “We just assumed they were looking to evaluate attractiveness, but it could have been many other things — personality type, whether there would be a connection. We didn’t even think of it afterward — it was an oversight.” Seems as if it’s not only what men look at in potential mates, but also how they view them that counts.

A version of this article appeared in print on November 7, 2010, on page ST6 of the New York edition.