Supergirl and Spartacus: How Her X-ray Vision Tore Them Apart
21 Dec
Ok guys, put down the GQ Magazine, throw away the seventy-five dollar bottle of Armani cologne and trash the gym membership, its time to embrace the kiddies! Dr. James R. Roney an assistant professor at the University of California – Santa Barbara led a study that might further unravel the beautiful mystery of the female mind.
The doctor hypothesized that women track cues of, “Paternal and genetic quality in men’s faces” and that those cues have a significant impact on the judgments they make about the attractiveness of a possible mate.
My wife is always clamoring about her feminine “super powers.” 
Even more often now that she has had a life grow inside her. But could it be possible that she has the ability to determine my genetic quality and enthusiasm towards parenting simply by looking at my ugly mug? According to Dr. Roney, the data suggest she can.
“The desirability of a male as a mating partner is expected to be a function of two dimensions: his genetic quality and his ability and willingness to provide parental investment” (Reading Men’s Faces 2006)
Earlier studies define the dimension of “genetic quality” by the presence of masculinity; meaning that women associate masculine facial features with genetic superiority. Testosterone is connected with the formation of masculine features, so samples of saliva were taken from the thirty-nine men who participated in the study. Testosterone levels in the saliva were used to establish degrees of masculinity, rating some men high and some lower.
“I am Spartacus!” I give you…Kirk Douglas, example of maximum testosterone. He has more masculinity in his chin than I have in my entire body! This guy probably has some serious man saliva. He’d grow hair on your bald spot with just a quick lick!
A separate test was done to define the second dimension, establishing each subject’s, “affinity towards children.” They were presented with twenty sets of pictures. In each set was an image of an adult and another of a child. The men were asked after viewing each set which picture they preferred. Men that preferred more images of children were likely to have a greater willingness to make parental investments.
Finally, pictures of these men’s faces were taken. The images were presented to twenty-nine women and they were asked to rate each face on attractiveness, masculinity, kindness, and how much they thought each man liked children. They were also asked to consider them as short or long term relationship possibilities.
Although the details of the tests and methods are interesthing, lets skip to the results…
“… This study suggests that women’s perceptions of men’s faces track actual characteristics of men that are theoretically important for mate choice. From mere photographs, women’s ratings of men’s liking of children were significantly correlated with men’s scores on interest in infants test, and women’s ratings of men’s masculinity were significantly correlated with men’s testosterone concentrations (saliva test). Perceptions of masculinity and liking children, in turn, were significant predictors of women’s mate attractiveness judgments.”
They could tell which men liked children the most and which men had the highest concentrations of testosterone in their saliva! Just by looking at their faces! They chose men with higher scores in the ”affinity for children test,” as long term relationship possibilities. Men with higher masculinity scores, who are apparently better for breeding, were chosen for shorter term relationships. So what does this mean?
Well, for the single guys, picking up chicks just got a little more complicated. If you are looking for a lasting, meaningful
relationship you better figure out how to beam a fondness for children from your face like a shaft of light. Cool trick if you can manage it…Also, you might consider downplaying your massive pectorals and cleft chin.
So, I wouldn’t suggest that you start hanging around a McDonald’s playground or start pulling out the old Spiderman sheets for your bed, that’s just creepy. But remember that at some level it’s ingrained in women to find a mate that will invest in their children. While strong masculine features indicate some level of genetic superiority, ultimatley its the family man that could win the babe (or at least make a good dady for your kids Spartacus).
Also, I think it is safe to say that underestimating a chick’s super abilities might be a mistake. It’s crazy, but a women’s intuition might be more powerful than we originally thought. Let’s stick together and watch each other’s backs!
If you’re interested in learning more about the details of the study here’s a link to a complete write-up:
