<p>Psychologists at New York and Princeton universities found that most women prefer men with more feminine shaped faces and darker skin.<br /><br />But the study found that men typically like women's faces to be feminine with plump lips and wide eyes, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />For the study, the researchers recruited two groups of men and women and showed them a selection of thousands of computer-generated faces of the opposite sex to rate, which had been manipulated to look either more masculine or feminine.<br /><br />The computer model tested 50 dimensions of facial features, including nose size, plumpness of lips and facial colouring.<br /><br />The scientists found that more men want women's faces to have a feminine shape, while women want men's faces to have a feminine shape, but darker skin.<br /><br />The findings showed that male and female attractiveness are not equal and opposite, said the researchers.<br /><br />They also found that the appeal of average faces is less straightforward than previously thought.<br /><br />The study, to be published in the Psychological Science journal, showed that attractiveness is more complex than had been found by previous studies, the researchers said.<br /><br />While both men and women find average faces attractive, the most average faces are not considered the most attractive, they added.<br /><br />"This paper helps sort out the uncertainty about whether masculinity is attractive or not in male faces," said lead researcher Christopher Said of New York University.</p>
<p>Psychologists at New York and Princeton universities found that most women prefer men with more feminine shaped faces and darker skin.<br /><br />But the study found that men typically like women's faces to be feminine with plump lips and wide eyes, the Daily Mail reported.<br /><br />For the study, the researchers recruited two groups of men and women and showed them a selection of thousands of computer-generated faces of the opposite sex to rate, which had been manipulated to look either more masculine or feminine.<br /><br />The computer model tested 50 dimensions of facial features, including nose size, plumpness of lips and facial colouring.<br /><br />The scientists found that more men want women's faces to have a feminine shape, while women want men's faces to have a feminine shape, but darker skin.<br /><br />The findings showed that male and female attractiveness are not equal and opposite, said the researchers.<br /><br />They also found that the appeal of average faces is less straightforward than previously thought.<br /><br />The study, to be published in the Psychological Science journal, showed that attractiveness is more complex than had been found by previous studies, the researchers said.<br /><br />While both men and women find average faces attractive, the most average faces are not considered the most attractive, they added.<br /><br />"This paper helps sort out the uncertainty about whether masculinity is attractive or not in male faces," said lead researcher Christopher Said of New York University.</p>