Looking for a faithful wife? Women with strong jawlines have more affairs, research shows

If you think it’s obvious why some men don’t fancy women with large chins, think again.



According to scientists, it may not be simply because they find them unattractive. In fact, they say, a prominent chin can be a telltale sign that a woman will be unfaithful.



Their conclusion comes from research conducted by a team of psychologists. They took a group of young women and questioned them on their sexual histories and fantasies. The women were then rated by a group of men on their desirability as a future partner.



Rule of jaw: The dainty-chinned Joanne Woodward and husband Paul Newman remained happily married for 50 years

The men were not told about the sex questionnaires. However, the results showed that women with larger chins were more sexually active than those with softer chins – and that men found these women unattractive.



The scientists, from four universities in North America, concluded that men will shun women with such masculine features when looking for a long-term partner because there is an instinctive fear of being cuckolded.

A large chin is often the product of a high level of the male growth hormone testosterone, which is present in all women in various amounts. But a high level of the hormone increases sexual assertiveness in a woman, a tendency more attributed to males.



Prominent: The Duchess of Cornwall has a more masculine chin

Men fear that a woman who is sexually active before a relationship will be unfaithful in the future.



Psychologists believe the reaction against women with large chins is due to an evolutionary desire to have a partner who is faithful, so producing children for only one man.



The conclusions seem to be confirmed by a look at the celebrity world. For example, the Duchess of Cornwall, who has a strong chin, had an affair with Prince Charles while married to her first husband, Andrew Parker Bowles.



But actress Joanne Woodward, who has a small chin, was happily married for 50 years to Hollywood icon Paul Newman until his death aged 83 in September.



An article on the study, published in the respected journal Personality And Individual Differences, said: ‘The findings are important in demonstrating that perceptions of women as desirable and trustworthy long-term mates can be reliably gleaned by men from viewing only the women’s facial features.



‘Results suggest that information about women’s sexual unrestrictedness, which is related to their risk of infidelity, can potentially be conveyed by the masculinity of women’s faces.’



Dr Lorne Campbell, one of the research psychologists, wrote: ‘It is difficult to conceal physical features, such as facial characteristics, that are partly governed by testosterone and reliably correlate with one’s sexual history and attitudes. The research is the first to our knowledge to suggest that a more masculine facial appearance in women might convey their sexual unrestrictedness and perhaps their long-term mate quality.’