ABSTRACT
We have investigated whether preferences for masculine and feminine characteristics are correlated across two modalities, olfaction and vision.
In study 1, subjects rated the pleasantness of putative male (4,16-
androstadien-3-one; 5α-androst-16-en-3-one) and female (1,3,5(10),16-estratetraen-3-ol) pheromones, and chose the most attractive face shape from a masculine–feminine continuum for a long- and a shortterm relationship. Study 2 replicated study 1 and further explored the effects of relationship context on pheromone ratings.
For long-term relationships, women’s preferences for masculine face shapes correlated with ratings of 4,16-androstadien-3-one and men’s preferences for feminine face shapes correlated with ratings of 1,3,5(10),16-estratetraen-3-ol.
These studies link sex-specific preferences for putative human sex pheromones and sexually dimorphic facial characteristics. Our findings suggest that putative sex pheromones and sexually dimorphic facial characteristics convey common information about the quality of potential mates.
Found this bit interesting as well (re. short term relationships)
When a male or a female is choosing a partner for a
short-term relationship, a variety of evolutionary functions
may be relevant, such as partner replacement or assessment
of mate potential (Buss & Schmitt 1993), cuckoldry
(Gangestad & Simpson 2000), or perhaps intrasexual
competition. Psychological motivations influenced by the
vagaries of modern life, such as gaining sexual experience
or peer pressure, may complicate the picture as we see it
today. Diverse strategies could lead individuals to react
to opposite-sex signals differently.
Anyway the researcher’s conclusion was that people were more fussy about long-term relationship mate potentials.