Women who think their parents will invest more money in their future children are more likely to prefer men with masculine faces

A woman’s preference for facial masculinity in a man is influenced by the degree of investment she expects from her future child’s grandfather, according to a study published in Evolutionary Psychological Science.

The researchers behind the study suggest that this is because men with masculine faces are perceived as less likely to invest in their children, and a higher anticipated investment from the child’s grandfather offsets the risk of selecting a masculine partner.

The effect was mostly when the women anticipated that their fathers would invest in their future offspring.

The researchers offered as an alternative explanation that masculine men tend to make more money and thus the women prefer mates who look like their fathers.