More on macho men….

It’s getting tough out there for the macho guy. Yet another study confirms that women generally find “macho” guys, as defined by an appearance indicating high testosterone, to be bad risks for long term relationships. In contrast, men with more “feminine” physical appearances are viewed as better potential fathers who are less likely to cheat.

Here’s a link to a report on physorg.com:

Macho men are seen as bad choice for long-term love from PhysOrg.com
Women see ‘masculine’ men as unsuitable long-term partners, new research suggests. Conversely, the psychologists from Durham and St Andrews Universities found that men with feminine facial features are seen as more committed and less likely to cheat on their partners. […]

We have a trade-off between the roles men play–father, breadwinner, protector. I doubt these are all that stable across cultures and time. If social order broke down, I think a lot of women would suddenly find their local bikers much more attractive than Leonardo di Caprio et al. as the protector role became more salient.

In the meantime, it seems to me that many of the researchers in this field are neglecting the issue of men’s judgments of women’s attractiveness. Yes, we know that fertility, as evidenced by youthful features, skin, and figure, is all-important. But can men judge whether or not a woman would be a good mother or a faithful partner from her looks? Hope somebody looks at this soon.