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8 The Biology of Beauty attractive however, this preference varies over the menstrual cycle. During the bulk of the month, women rated more average, feminized male faces as more attractive. When asked to rate the attractiveness of male faces in an ex- periment performed by Anthony Little and Peter Hancock from the United Kingdom, ratings of attractiveness increased as faces were averaged. Further- more, more feminine male faces were rated more highly than masculine male faces. When looking at face shape, an average face shape was more attractive and averaging facial texture (which serves to smooth the skin) increased the ratings of femininity and attractiveness. Body symmetry, similarly, is a contributor to attractiveness. A symmet- rical body indicates healthy development and stronger reproductive po- tential. Asymmetries are correlated with disease, malformation, or poor genetic quality. Specifically, for women, symmetrical breasts are an indi- cator of sexual maturity, good health, and reproductive potential. When examining data from older women, researchers find that older women with symmetrical breasts tended to have more children over their life span than women with asymmetrical breasts. Symmetrical breasts are more attractive to the typical male, and women with symmetrical breasts have more children, on average, during their lifetimes. Research also shows that this physical symmetry is hereditary, so these women will like- ly pass on this trait to their offspring, contributing to reproductive suc- cess for generations to come. For males, body symmetry also contributes to increased ratings of attractiveness. However, symmetry and overall attractiveness were not found to correlate with semen quality in a study done at the University of Western Australia. Symmetrical bodies, howev- er, did correlate with reproductive opportunities. Men with symmetrical skeletons were found to have had sex earlier and with more sexual part- ners throughout their reproductive years. Symmetry, remarkably, aligns with other attractive features that will be dis- cussed later in the chapter. Symmetrical men and women tend to have more pleasing voice quality, produce a more attractive natural body scent, have more stable personality traits, and have greater psychological and emotional health. All of these traits are likely produced by the same underlying strong genetic quality, stable environment, and healthy overall development. Based on these correlations, it is no wonder that symmetry is a hallmark of beauty because it serves as a visible physical indicator of overall physical and mental health and stability and is correlated with many other traits that contribute to future health and success. Sexual Dimorphism Aside from symmetry, exaggerated traits characteristic of one’s own gender, such as highly feminine traits in a female or masculine traits in a male, con- tribute to perceived attractiveness as well. These characteristic differences