Men with rugged(1) jaws and chiseled(2), masculine(3) facial features might have no problem getting dates but women don't always see them as marriage material, according to a U.S. study.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan's School of Public Health, found women may judge potential mates by how masculine their facial features are before getting to know them.

Researchers tested about 850 male and female undergraduates usually digitally altered pictures of male faces and found women viewed men with "masculine features" like prominent brow ridges and large jaws, as good short-term partners -- but saw them as more likely to cheat on a spouse(4) and get into fights.

Men with more "feminine features," such as rounder faces and fuller lips, were viewed as better long-term partners by female participants who would likely make better parents and husbands.

"Women's preferences depend on what type of partner she is looking for," said the study's author Daniel Kruger in a statement.

"She will prefer a highly masculine face for a short-term relationship where the potential genetic investment would be most important, and a more feminine face for a long-term relationship, where a stable, supportive relationship and ability and willingness to care for children would be more important."

Kruger said male participants in the study, which was published recently in the journal "Personal Relationships," drew similar conclusions based on men's facial features.

When they were asked to choose a person to accompany their girlfriend on a weekend trip or as a potential son-in-law, they opted for(5) men with more feminine features.

Kruger said according to this and other studies, the hormone testosterone(6) may play a role in explaining facial preferences although further study was needed.

Testosterone promotes the development of male facial and sexual features, including prominent brow lines and larger jaws, which may be characteristics women want to pass on to their children.

But at the same time, increased testosterone has been linked to violent behaviour and spousal cheating so as a result, women may want longer-term relationships with less-masculine looking men.

美國一項調查顯示，下巴粗獷、面部輪廓分明、具有男子氣概的男人也許不愁沒有約會，但是結婚就不好說了。

密歇根大學公共健康學院的研究人員發現，女人在了解一個男人之前會通過他的長相是否粗獷來判斷他是否適合婚姻。

研究人員對850名男女大學生進行研究，給他們看很多不同的男性面部照片，女人們通常認為那些長相具有“男子氣概特征”—諸如高眉骨、寬下巴—的男人非常適合作短期情人，可卻會欺騙配偶，引發爭吵。

女人還認為長相具有“女性特點”，例如圓臉盤、豐滿嘴唇的男人更適合作終生伴侶，認為他們會成為好父親、好丈夫。

本研究作者Daniel Kruger在聲明中說：“女性的偏好取決于她對伴侶的需求。”

“當她需要一個短期情人時，潛在基因投資是最重要的事情，她會選擇一張頗具男子漢氣概的臉；當她需要一個長期關系時，穩定、相互扶持的關系和撫養孩子的能力、愿望便是最重要的因素，她會選擇一張更富女性氣質的臉。”

Kruger說最近一期《私人關系》對男性的調查也得到類似的結論。

問及會找怎樣的人來陪他們的女朋友周末旅行或者作準女婿時，他們都偏愛更具女性特點的男性。

Kruger說根據此項以及其他研究，荷爾蒙睪丸激素可能對面部特征產生一定影響，但仍需要更深研究證實。

睪丸激素有利于男性面部和性特征的發展，包括高眉骨、寬下巴，這也是女人希望能夠遺傳給孩子們的。

但同時，荷爾蒙也與暴力行為和婚姻背叛有關，所以女人們更愿意找一個不太具男子氣概的男人結婚。