Other animals change color, do funny dances based upon their biological moods as signals to mates. I don't think it's a stretch to say humans subconsciously give signals and communicate using their physical appearance. We do it all the time and don't even realize it.
we're not talking about changing colors or doing funny dances. we're talking about telling people that their behavior is pre-determined because of the way they look.
I tend to agree with you...Maybe the article was saying if you have a strong jawline, you're an a-hole so only be with him for a good time...Now they need to do a study of women that men suspect would be good mothers...I suspect I need a combo of these ladies:
I think it is the other way around. People will unknowingly look a certain way as a method of subconsciously expressing themselves.
Another report: Women Get Paternal Clues in Men's Faces By DON BABWIN, Associated Press Writer Tue May 9, 7:53 PM ET Women looking for a long-term relationship like men who like children — and they can tell which guys might be interested in becoming fathers just by looking at their faces. Those are among the findings of a study of college students published Wednesday in a British scientific journal. "This study suggests that women are picking up on facial cues that are perhaps related to paternal qualities," said James Roney, a University of California at Santa Barbara psychologist and lead author of the study. "The more they perceived the men as liking kids, the more likely they could see having a longer-term relationship." Experts said evolution has apparently programmed women to recognize men who might be interested in propagating the species by raising a family. The study wasn't all bad news for men not interested in settling down. It found that women can look at men's faces and figure out which of them have the highest testosterone levels. Those men — rated the most masculine by the women — turn out to be just the kind of guys they would want for a fling. "Women make very good use of any information they get from a man's face," said co-author Dario Maestripieri, an associate professor of comparative human development at the University of Chicago. "Depending on what they want and where they are in their lives, they use this information differently." In the study, published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, researchers looked at a group of 39 men, ages 18 to 33, at the University of Chicago. Each man was shown 10 pairs of photographs and silhouettes, one of an adult and the other of an infant, and asked to rate their preferences. Meanwhile, their saliva was tested to determine testosterone levels. Photographs of the men's faces were then shown to 29 women, ages 18 to 20, at the University of California at Santa Barbara. The women were asked to rate the men on four qualities: "likes children," "masculine," "physically attractive" and "kind." Then they were asked to rate how attractive they found each man for short-term and long-term romance. The study found women did well at rating men on their interest in babies, and those they rated masculine generally had higher testosterone levels than the others. For example, the men who indicated they liked children the most were rated as above average in liking children by 20 of the 29 women. The men who showed no interest in children were correctly rated as below average in that category by 19 of the women. The higher the women rated the men for masculinity, the higher they were rated as potential short-term romantic partners. The higher they rated men for their interest in children, the higher they were rated for long-term romance. The features that research has suggested denote high testosterone levels include a prominent jaw and a heavy beard. The findings came as no surprise to those in the business of studying human behavior — and love. "What this study illustrates is that there are genetic programs that increase survival of the species because there are hormones in women that are cuing their reactions to the hormones of the men," said Dr. Daniel Alkon, scientific director of the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute in Morgantown, W.Va., and Washington. Or as Kristin Kelly, a spokeswoman for the online dating service Match.com, put it: "They call it `love at first sight' for a reason. They don't say `love at first sentence,' `love at first word.'" It is unclear just what about the men's faces tipped the women off about their interest in children. While Maestripieri guessed it might have something to do with "a more rounded face, a gentler face," Roney said the answer might be found in the expressions on the men's faces. He explained that after the study was completed, five graduate students were asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 7 whether the men looked angry or happy. Though the men were instructed to have a neutral look on their faces when photographed, some apparently looked happier than others. "It seemed that the men who picked more infants in that test had a happier or more content look on their face," he said http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060509...IT4OuGs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTA3ODdxdHBhBHNlYwM5NjQ-
Now that I see it was a University of Chicago study, I've changed my mind completely. Those guys are seriously smart. Actually, if they are using U of C students in their photos, that in itself probably invalidates the whole study. The school has the weirdest student body in the country. I can't imagine many competing well with the general population on masculinity or attractiveness.
I think there are two different cues going on. One like the jawline is a physical attribute which serves as a physical genetic cue, like the horns on a deer. The other cue is a subtle, subconscious emotional/mental facial expression.
so if i put on a tough face, i hate kids? i'm just being a jackass now. we're not gonna agree on this. mostly because we're not having the same argument.
I think you are working off the catchy thread title and not the report. Th report doesn't state a certain face will make a better father as in Bill Cosby. It did state that they couldn't recognize the cues that made the woman determine which of the guys would like children more. But it could recognize the face type the chicks dig when they are looking for a fling, or when they are looking for a caring guy. I think some of it cultural and some is genetic. And I do think what we assume are personal opinons and tastes can really be evolutionary forces at work. A woman will be attracted to different looking males based on her own and his biology. Just like a 19 year old guy will not be sexually attracted to he face of a 90 year old woman. Her face turns him off. This is nature's plan hardwired into us, to keep the young guy away from the old woman because trying to mate with her would be unproductive if not harmful. I think there are probably many other subtle, subconscious signals at going on when dealing with the herd.
all my female coworkers say i will be a good daddy. my coworkers/friends baby didnt seem to mind me when i carried her in my arms, and she didnt cry or was not agitated. she is only one year old. i'm pretty good with my other friends kids. they range from three or four (can't remember) to ten years old. yeah, id kick ass.
You are missing the point, I think. How your face looks is not a reflection on how YOU will act. Instead, it is a reflection on how the woman THINKS you will act. Big big difference. Its like going on a job interview. The interviewer has made assumptions about you the moment you walk in the door and before you say a word. Those assumptions don't necessarily reflect reality but at the same time those assumptions affect whether or not you get the job. Is it right? No. Is it reality. Yes. When I see a stereotypical Hells Angel guy, I'm not wondering if he is available as a baby-sitter.
No, what I mean is that faith can be equally abstract to some...probably even more so in some instances. You've always been very reasonable and measured, particularly in matter regarding your faith and the differences in the faith of others - which is odd to see you as uncomfortable or attacking on a science that you seem to consider just as abstract as one may consider your faith. And, as krosfyah pointed out, it's not that difficult to find instances at least related to - if not exact examples of - this theory.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I think the argument here is that if you put on a tough face potential mates will "sub-consciously" make a value judgement that you "hate kids." It is a predicter of how you will be perceived rather than how you will behave.
Marshall Brickman (?) I'm pretty sure. "My Dinner With Andre" and "Princess Bride" and some Woody Allen movies...
i see the whole thing as flawed. i don't know how you measure affection for children, for instance. i agree with you that it starts out the way you suggest. but then goes on to talk about how the women in this study got it right. i think that leads to dangerous places. as i said to meowgi before, if it's simply a matter of who women are attracted to for what, i have no problem with that. that makes sense to me. however, if you're doing a study like this to suggest that physical appearance means you'll behave in a certain way, then i have a problem with it. i fear that's what this is about.
