pr9-2-98

Press Release:2 September1998

In a new study of facial attractiveness, researchers from Scotland and
Japan have

found that, much to their astonishment, people of both sexes prefer
feminine-

looking men over rugged, manly-miened men. When shown a series of computerized

photographs of young men whose images had been manipulated to make
them look

either more masculine or more feminine than the norm, viewers designated
the

artificially feminized faces as somewhat more attractive than the average
faces, and

more appealing by far than the masculinized versions.

The results, which appeared in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature,
held cross-culturally,

whether the faces shown or the people passing judgment were Japanese
or Caucasian.

The scientists had predicted that such traditional hallmarks of male
dominance and maturity as a

big jaw, square face, prow nose, and heavy brow would prove impressive
to men and

irresistible to women, who in theory are ever on the lookout for their
alpha mate. Instead,

appraisers seemed drawn to a touch of girlishness -- slender nose,
cupid's lips,

lightened brow, adorable chin.

For full text of the article, visit the New York Times on the web.
http://www.nytimes.com/library/national/science/090198sci-face.html