Study Says Mens' Faces Show
Just How Likely They Are to Cheat
What
can you know about someone from their photo?
Do
men and women see things differently? How?
New research says that a woman can know if
a man will cheat on her before she
even speaks to him.
In the study 293 men and 472 women looked
at pictures of women and men. They rated
them on a scale of one to 10 for how likely they thought each person was to
cheat. Researchers found that both men and women were able to identify men with
a history of cheating from the photos.
Strong male faces are connected with
cheating
The people in the photos had already been
honest about their past cheating actions. Their photos had also already been
rated for attractiveness, not being able to trust and how strongly female or strongly
male they looked.
The results showed that both men and women
gave higher scores to the photos of men who had been cheating. However, there
was no discernible connection
between the high-rating of women's photos and their cheating. The scientists suggested
a few possible reasons why the men's faces might make it easier to see them as
cheaters. One key thing is how strongly
his face appears to be male. The researchers suggest that women are careful of
men with strong male features such as a strong eyebrow line, strong jaw and
thinner lips as this makes them more likely to cheat.
The researchers say the results are not
strong and that we should not judge a
book by its cover alone.
The research team said they were surprised that
it men could not see which women were likely to cheat from the photos.
But one thing to think about is that women
may not answer honestly. Another recent study may also help shed some light on this story.
According to the research men with beards appear
more angry and emotional than clean-shaven men. The study asked people to
quickly look at a random set of photos.
The photos showed men in four different ways; clean-shaven and looking happy;
clean-shaven and looking angry; bearded and looking happy; and bearded and looking
angry.
The study found people were much quicker to
see anger in the bearded men than the non-bearded men. In another survey the
bearded men were rated more highly for being social when they were smiling than
smiling non-bearded men. All this information needs more research. But it seems
there are some interesting connections between strong male faces and our first impressions of people.
Try
to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest
meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and
have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the
reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary
depending on how they are used.
The
answers are below the table.
cheat
|
A
|
1
|
To put things in an order from best to worst,
first to last etc.
|
rated
|
B
|
2
|
The thoughts/feeling you have about someone
or something
|
discernible
|
C
|
3
|
To make something easier to
understand/clearer
|
key
|
D
|
4
|
No order or control over choosing something,
to choose without a plan
|
judge a book by its cover
|
E
|
5
|
(in a relationship meaning) to have another
relationship when you already have a boy/girlfriend
|
shed some light
|
F
|
6
|
The most important thing
|
random
|
G
|
7
|
To make a decision about something on appearance/looks
only
|
impressions
|
H
|
8
|
To be able to see the differences between
things
|
A=5, B=1, C=8, D=6, E=7, F=3, G=4, H=2
Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the
meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.
1. He cheated on her by dating her friend.
2. Korean students want to attend
a highly rated university.
3. A skilled wine taster can discern if it is a high or low quality
wine.
4. Red pepper is a key ingredient when you make this meal.
5. When we decide if someone is a
good person or not by their fashion and appearance we are judging a book by its cover.
6. We need you to explain this
problem and shed some light on what
it means.
7. Strict people like to plan everything,
they don’t like random events and
luck.
8. My first impression of Seoul was it was an exciting busy city.
Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the
words/phrases in your answer.
1. This survey was done with non
Koreans. Do you think Korean women can see cheats
in the same way? How differences might be discernable
in your culture?
2. What things are important to
you when you rate a future
boy/girlfriend?
3. What was a key thing you learned/thought was interesting from this story?
4. How do you judge a book by its cover?
5. Shed some light on cheating in your
country?
6. Why was it important for the
photos to be random in the research?
7. How are first impressions important/or not, in your
country/culture?