When "handsome guys" are no longer automatically "strong guys" - Photo: AI
In popular culture, the image of "manly" men like Chris Hemsworth or Jason Momoa is often seen as attractive, with bulging muscles, angular faces and thick beards. However, the results of a large-scale scientific study in the UK and Japan are calling that notion into question.
The study, conducted by a team of psychologists at the University of Stirling (UK), surveyed more than 1,500 people of different ages, genders and sexual orientations. Participants were asked to rate male and female faces that had been digitally edited to appear "more masculine" or "more feminine".
The results showed that the majority of participants, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, tended to choose more feminine faces, especially among men. This trend was most pronounced among young, heterosexual women in the UK.
This helps explain the growing popularity of artists like Timothée Chalamet, Tom Holland or Harry Styles, whose slim, sophisticated looks are far from the traditional masculine image.
According to Dr. Thora Bjornsdottir - the lead researcher, people not only judge attractiveness by appearance but also unconsciously infer personality from other people's faces. Feminine faces in men are often associated with friendliness, thoughtfulness and trustworthiness, while masculine faces are associated with dominance but less softness.
“Not everyone realizes it, but we often make a lot of assumptions based on other people’s faces, such as whether they are trustworthy or capable,” Dr. Bjornsdottir shared. This is called the “halo effect,” when a physical feature causes people to judge a person’s personality or ability.
What is special about the study is that it is the first to specifically look at the preferences of bisexual people. The results show that this is not an intermediate group between homosexuals and heterosexuals as is commonly thought.
For example, bisexual men in both the UK and Japan showed a lower preference for feminine features in women than heterosexual men, but made similar preferences when evaluating men. Meanwhile, bisexual women in the UK tended to prefer feminine features in men, but masculine features in women, in stark contrast to bisexuals in Japan, who preferred more neutral faces in both sexes.
These differences show that cultural, geographical, and racial factors clearly influence aesthetics and gender norms, something that cannot be simply generalized through Western studies.
In a society that increasingly values diversity, studies like this make it clear that attractiveness is not a static concept. It changes with the times, along with perceptions of gender, social roles, and even... photo editing technology.
The study goes beyond mere appearance preferences to reflect profound changes in the way we perceive and evaluate the people around us.
"People often think of attraction as a 'heart' thing, but it's actually a complex set of social feelings," Dr. Bjornsdottir concludes.
MINH HAI
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phu-nu-hien-dai-thich-dan-ong-nu-tinh-hon-2025060311254878.htm
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