It's an interesting psychological process that American researchers wanted to take a closer look at, so they devised a study that analyzed how people let go of one characteristic of a partner, becoming more attracted to another characteristic they might have. What was discovered about the men was interesting.
Men who were given the chance to 'model' their perfect partner for a long-term relationship, an overwhelming majority chose an attractive face over an attractive body. Not surprisingly, men who set up their partner for a short-term relationship chose a sexy body over an attractive face.
There were 250 male participants in the study. They were tasked with imagining that they were single and creating their ideal partner of the opposite sex. Each volunteer was presented with a list of physical features, half of which were facial (eyes, nose, hair, skin color, smile) and the other half related to the body (height, muscles, chest size, waist size , buttock size).
Participants were then asked to rate each of these traits from 0 to 10 depending on which they valued most. Awarding a full 10-point score for each feature was impossible as there were only limited points available to each participant - hence a budget - which meant they had to compromise their ratings and gave priority to their preferences.
Whether it's a short-term or long-term relationship, male volunteers prioritized an attractive face over an attractive body. The only scenario in which the body triumphed over the face was when the male participants were given a smaller budget of points and asked to create the perfect partner for a short period of time. In other words, men with more points chose an attractive face even for short-term relationships.
Researchers believe that this behavior in men seeking long-term relationships reflects how we subconsciously judge a woman's long-term reproductive potential. More specifically, a female's long-term reproductive potential may be best communicated through facial features that include facial expressions and post-aging skin. This, the researchers claim, is why men prefer a more attractive woman for long-term relationships.
