What kind of men a women is attracted to, will change during her monthly cycle. When she’s in her peak fertility zone, ovulating, she will be more attracted to men with masculine faces. That’s the guys with “square jaws and well defined brow ridges.” When she comes out of the zone, she changes her preference towards guys with more feminine features. It’s as if her biology tells her to find a strong man to plant his seeds, and then turn to a steady man to take care of her needs.

In the new study, researchers asked women who were at different points in their menstrual cycles (and who were not on the pill) to rate their own attractiveness. Then researchers presented them with image pairs representing �feminized� and �masculinized� versions of the same male body. The women were asked to choose the body they thought was most attractive for a short-term relationship and then again for a long-term relationship.

Some of the women performed the experiment again at the opposite point in their cycle.

These findings, to be detailed in an upcoming issue of the journal Hormones and Behavior, reveal that �preferences are not absolute,� Little said.

Masculinity could be �sexy for the same reason that the peacock’s tail is sexy,� said UCLA researcher Dave Frederick, who was not involved in the study. �Only males in good condition can generate these traits,� because they require a great deal of energy and can only be sustained in healthy individuals, Frederick explained.

Men with hard bodies and sculpted jaws may therefore have better genes for producing better babies, so it would make sense for fertile women to be attracted to them.

Research suggests that men who are less masculine tend to invest more in relationships, making them more appealing to women who are at the least fertile points in their menstrual cycle�a hormonal profile that mimics that of pregnancy, when mate investment in the relationship is crucial.

Source: What an ovulating girl wants: Manly men