Girls from broken or unhappy homes are more likely to look more masculine and unhealthy, say academics.Founded in 1413, the University of St Andrews in Scotland has conducted research into the relationship between parents and daughters, which then seems linked to how feminine their daughter’s face and body become, and how much weight she gains. By studying the faces and family backgrounds of around 90 daughters, the study found that parental marital difficulties relate to more masculine faces, more body fat (particularly around their waists) and less curvy (more masculine) bodies. Where parents stay together despite these difficulties, daughters appeared less healthy than other girls; possibly due to long term/current stress. Girls with separated parents, however, did not show reduced facial healthiness.
The images shown here illustrate the findings:
LEFT – those with separated parents
MIDDLE – those with unseparated parents who rated their parents’ relationship as poor quality
RIGHT – those who reported their parents’ relationship as good quality.
The reasons for these links are as yet unknown. They may be genetic, or due to effects of stress or some other factor, however this opens up a new and interesting area of study with implications for future developmental research. Weight gain around the waist may be a standard response to the stress hormone cortisol.
The research was published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society on Wednesday 24 May 2006.
This study builds on previous research suggesting that aspects of family background, such as parental separation, may be linked to how quickly daughters reach puberty.
A documentary called “Explorations” touched on these issues. This was episode 11 of Season 2 titled “First Impressions” which explored the factors that cause attraction – Body shape, Symmetry of a person’s face and Movement of a person.
The documentary was broadcast on the National Geographic Channel in the United States, and BBC World elsewhere around the world. It was jointly by BBC Worldwide Ltd and Broadcast Marketing Ltd, United Kingdom. The first and the second series were broadcast on September 2003 and September 2004, respectively.
An episode of a documentary called “Explorations” touched on these issues. This was episode 11 of Season 2 titled “First Impressions” which explored the factors that cause attraction – Body shape, Symmetry of a person’s face and Movement of a person.
The documentary was broadcast on the National Geographic Channel in the United States, and BBC World elsewhere around the world. It was jointly by BBC Worldwide Ltd and Broadcast Marketing Ltd, United Kingdom. The first and the second series were broadcast on September 2003 and September 2004, respectively.
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