In times of uncertainty, women are more drawn to rugged guys like Chris Hemsworth and Jason Momoa, according to researchers at Amsterdam’s Vrije Universiteit.
The appearance is characterized by a sharper nose and chin, a more angular jawline, and higher cheekbones, according to Mail Online. Men are typically more drawn to women with “tender” looks, such as Selena Gomez, who have softer lines, shadows, and outer facial contours, as well as rounder lips, cheeks, and nose tips.
According to the authors, this is due to an “increased desire for a stereotypical partner type inferred from such facial features.”
For men, he is a compassionate guy, but for women, this is a man who “provides a sense of predictability” and is thus powerful.
They noted, “These results show that partner preferences are not fixed but are affected by fleeting psychological states, such as feelings of uncertainty due to external, unpredictable events.”
With the COVID-19 epidemic, the cost-of-living problem, and an ever-changing administration, the past several years have been, to say the least, tumultuous for many of us.
These external influences can have a variety of negative effects on our health, including sleep deprivation, cognitive fog, and depression.
Studies have shown that when people don’t know what will happen, they want order and structure. They often show this by becoming more loyal to religion, the government, or conspiracy theories.
The purpose of the study, which was published in the European Journal of Social Psychology, was to determine if times of unpredictability influence the sort of relationship people choose.
To participate in three research, they recruited students and individuals through the Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) work-distribution website.
For the first round of research, 173 MTurk workers were instructed to compose a 100-word narrative about a period when they felt assured or uncertain, reflecting on their emotions at the time.
Certain times may be distinguished by financial stability and job security, whereas uncertain times may be distinguished by financial crises or political environment upheavals. Then, they were shown four different faces of men and women that had been changed digitally to look more aggressive or weak.
The participants were asked to judge the faces based on their appearance, likeability, and desirability for a date.
In the second study, 174 students were again asked to write a story about a time in their lives that was either uncertain or clear.
The participants were then instructed to believe they were seeking a date and indicate the degree to which they would be attracted to a compassionate or powerful spouse.
After analyzing the findings of the two trials, the researchers determined that women regarded rougher, masculine faces and stronger partners as more appealing during uncertain times than during times of certainty.
Men, on the other hand, liked sensitive faces more and wanted a caring partner when things were uncertain.
In the third study, 141 students were asked to choose between a loving relationship that “makes [them] feel at home and is soothing” and a powerful partner who “provides safety and on whom [they] can rely in times of need.”
The participants were then asked to rate the attractiveness of the faces from the first study as if they were looking for a romantic partner who fit that description.
When presented by the opposite sex, individuals saw softer facial characteristics as compassionate and harder facial features as forceful.
When confronting uncertainty, women are more attracted to males with harsher as opposed to more tender facial traits, whereas men are more drawn to women with more tender as opposed to rougher facial features.
“These findings have implications for our understanding of how and why partner preferences are influenced by uncertainty.”
Source – Tru News Report
