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Effect is more pronounced among women partnered with less-masculine-looking men, researchers find; male intelligence shows no such effect

When their romantic partners are not quintessentially masculine, women in their fertile phase are more likely to fantasize about masculine-looking men than are women paired with George Clooney types.

But women with masculine-looking partners do not necessarily become more attracted to their partners, a recent study co-authored by a University of Colorado at Boulder researcher concludes.

Meanwhile, a man鈥檚 intelligence has no effect on the extent to which their fertile, female partners fantasize about others, the researchers found. They say the lack of an observed 鈥渇ertility effect鈥� related to intelligence is puzzling.

The findings augment the emerging understanding of how human sexual selection evolved over time, and how the vestiges of that evolution are evident today.

The findings come from a study published recently in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior. The study was conducted by Steven Gangestad and Randy Thornhill of the University of New Mexico and Christine Garver-Apgar, a postdoctoral fellow at CU鈥檚 Institute for Behavioral Genetics.

A 鈥渕asculine face鈥� has a relatively pronounced chin, strong jaw, narrow eyes and well-defined brow. George Clooney fits this bill, Gangestad suggests. A less-masculine face, on the other hand, would include less-pronounced jaw and wider eyes,听a la听Pee-wee Herman.

But this does not mean that pretty boys are less attractive as life partners.

鈥淲hen they rate men鈥檚 sexiness, in a sense, that鈥檚 when (women) show the shift,鈥� Gangestad told LiveScience, an online journal. 鈥淚f they rate men鈥檚 attractiveness as a long-term partner, then they don鈥檛 show it.鈥�

The team interviewed 66 heterosexual couples in which women鈥檚 ages ranged from 18 to 44. Their relationships ranged from one month to 20 years in length. Nine couples were married.

A host of studies has shown that women鈥檚 interest in men with masculine features peaks during ovulation. But this study is the first to confirm that the effect occurs in real couples.

鈥淭he effects of facial masculinity and attractiveness fit in a larger picture that has emerged,鈥� says Garver-Apgar.

The prevailing wisdom during much of the last half-century was that women did not experience estrus, the period in which other primates signal their fertility with swollen genitals. But newer research suggests that women may not have lost all remnants of estrus.

Evolutionary biologists have documented that women are choosy when fertile, and their freedom to choose mates is increased because their fertile phase is not advertised as it is in other primates. A growing body of evidence suggests that, when most fertile, women gravitate toward males who show signs of good genetic quality.

Masculine facial features suggest that a man is of good genetic quality, because he had the resources during development not only to survive but also to expend energy on a macho visage. Rugged-looking jaws and eyebrows are signals of testosterone.

Instead of using his energy on other features or to maintain his immune system, the masculine-looking male may have had a 鈥渟urplus energy budget,鈥� Garver-Apgar says.

During development, individuals make tradeoffs. They can build big brains, large muscles or stronger immune systems. Brains, brawn and immunity may all compete for the same resources.

All else being equal, a man who is 鈥渁dvertising a highly testosteronized鈥� appearance may be signaling that he is of potentially superior genetic stock and that his offspring might have a higher chance of success, Garver-Apgar says.

While it is not surprising that women鈥檚 gaze would fall on masculine-looking men when they are most fertile, Garver-Apgar says the lack of a similar effect with intelligence is perplexing.

鈥淭hat we didn鈥檛 find any effect of men鈥檚 intelligence on their partners鈥� sexual interests across the cycle is important because some evidence suggests that intelligence associates with genetic quality.鈥�

But the data on the intelligence-attraction equation are mixed. If intelligence correlates with good genetic quality, Garver-Apgar wonders, why is it that intelligence is not among those traits that women prefer mid-cycle? 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 you see a fertility effect?鈥�

Further research should help answer those questions, she and her co-authors suggest.

In the Gangestad-Thornhill-Garver-Apgar study, women came to the lab three times a month to answer a questionnaire on their sexual attractions and fantasies. One session was scheduled for each woman鈥檚 fertile period, while the other two were during the non-fertile phase of the menstrual cycle.

Men鈥檚 intelligence was measured via their college entrance exam scores and an IQ test. The men鈥檚 photos were rated for attractiveness by human subjects and carefully measured for the prominence of 鈥渕asculine鈥� features.