Masculinity "doesn't bear any relation to attractiveness at all," expert says.
ByChristine Dell'AmoreNational Geographic News
Published November 5, 2010
• 4 min read
Women in a recent experiment preferred men with yellower and redder skin tones, both of which can signal good health, a crucial factor in choosing a mate, scientists say.
For instance, people of any race who eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables tend to have yellower hues, and people who are physically fit have more oxygenated—and thus, redder—blood and skin.
By contrast, pallid skin with lesions is generally considered unattractive, perhaps because such traits betray a weak immune system, said study co-author Ian Penton-Voak, an experimental psychologist at the University of Bristol in the U.K. (Explore a human-body interactive.)
Unexpectedly, the women in the study showed no preference for men with
