ThestudyinvolvedwomenfromEurope,America,SouthAmerica,Canada,AustraliaandNewZealand–andwasconductedovertheinternetviatheFaceResearchLabwebsite.Thewomen–agedbetween16and40andallheterosexual–gavetheirpreferencefor20differentmalefaces.Womenwereshowntwoimagesofthesamefacesidebyside,butonepicturewasverysubtlyalteredsoithadmoremasculinetraits,forexampleabiggerjawandheavierandlowerbrowline,andtheotherwasoppositelyalteredsoithadmorefemininetraits.ResearchersthenmatchedpreferencestohealthstatisticsfromtheWorldHealthOrganization.DrDeBruinesaid:“WefoundthatwomenincountrieslikeBrazil,ArgentinaandMexicowherethehealthispoorerweremoreattractedtomasculinelookingfacesthanwomenincountrieslikeBelgiumandSweden,whichhavelowermortalityratesandhigherlongevity.”DrBenJones,whowasalsoinvolvedintheresearchsaid:“Thesenewfindingsreallydoseemtoshowthatpreferencesfordifferenttypesofmenindifferentpartsoftheworldarelinkedtocross-culturaldifferencesinhealth.Theeffectremainedevenwhenwecontrolledforlotsofotherfactors,suchascross-culturaldifferencesinwealth.”
