LIFE’S UPS AND DOWNS 生活札記

Actress Meg Ryan, 47, who has a strong chin, famously cheated on her husband Dennis Quaid

Psychologists have found that adult females who have prominent chins are more sexually active than those with softer features, yet are less attractive to men looking for a long-term partner.

Larger chins on women are often caused by a high level of the male growth hormone testosterone, present in all women in various amounts.

The hormone also increases sexual assertiveness in a woman, a tendency more commonly attributed to males.

The researchers, from four universities across the US and Canada, took a group of young women and questioned them on their sexual histories and fantasies.

These women were then rated by a group of men on their desirability as a life partner.

It was concluded that men will shun women with such masculine features when looking for a long-term partner because they fear being cuckolded.

Psychologists believe it is linked to their evolutionary desire to have a partner who will produce children for only one man.

Authors of the study, published in the journal Personality And Individual Differences, said: “The findings are important in demonstrating that perceptions of women as desirable and trustworthy long-term mates can be reliably gleaned by men from viewing only the women’s facial features.

“Results suggest that information about women’s sexual unrestrictedness, which is related to their risk of infidelity, can potentially be conveyed by the masculinity of women’s faces.”

The theory has many examples in the celebrity world.

Actress Meg Ryan, 47, who has a strong chin, famously cheated on her husband Dennis Quaid with her co-star Russell Crowe.

However, the actress Joanne Woodward, who has a dainty jawline, was happily married for 50 years to Hollywood icon Paul Newman until his death in September.

Dr Lorne Campbell, a psychologist from Western Ontario University, who took part in the project, wrote: “It is difficult to conceal physical features, such as facial characteristics, that are partly governed by testosterone and reliably correlate with one’s sexual history and attitudes.

The research is the first to our knowledge to suggest that a more masculine facial appearance in women might convey their sexual unrestrictedness and perhaps their long-term mate quality.”

Source: Telegraph

“We are at a historical turning-point in cuisine,” said food consultant Bernard Boutboul at a recent forum on trends in gastronomy. “For the past six or seven years consumers have been unhappy about the high prices practised in certain restaurants.”

“Add to that the current financial crisis, and the fact that lifestyles are changing and people want to eat more and more quickly.”

So Bocuse a year ago expanded his more than 40-year three-star empire with a fast food eatery, Ouest Express, offering meals between 10 to 14 euros (13.5 to 18.9 dollars) as well as ham sandwiches and hamburgers at 4.30 and 5.90 respectively (5.8 and eight dollars respectively).

And now all the chefs are treading in his tracks. Guy Martin, the starred chef who runs the high-end Grand Vefour in Paris, too has opened a snack food counter called Miyou.

And Helene Darroze, another distinguished chef with two stars from the prized Michelin food bible, is offering a 25-euro (33.9 dollar) tapas-style lunch “in this period of economic turbulence.”

It features the likes of baby broccoli soup, lobster ravioli and scallops “a la plancha”. Darroze currently is at the helm of the Connaught’s kitchens in London.

“Who would ever have thought,” said consultant Boutboul, “that the likes of these would go into sandwiches?”

But for the specialists, cheap, quick, and easy are the way ahead.

“The three key words in today’s restaurant business are ‘quick’, ‘good’ and ‘not too expensive’” said Yves Pinard, the chef of the busy restaurant located inside the equally-busy Louvre museum, Le Grand Louvre.

And there were less and les diners nowadays willing to pay 300 euros (407 dollars) or so for a good meal, said Yves Camdeborde, who runs one of Paris’ most noted foodie bistrots, the Comptoir du Relais.

“Our clients are growing old,” added Christophe Collin, who heads marketing for the restaurants of the giant Sofitel hotel chain. “We need to adapt in order to sign on new customers in the 40 to 45 year-old bracket.”

His hotel chain, he said, was mulling how to throw the restaurant system on its head. “We need restaurants that are different,” he said. “Do we need restaurants that open and shut at fixed times? Where you have to sit down?”

According to Boutboul, fast food outlets are destined to mushroom in the future, but will need to improve on atmospherics, decor and service — while more than ever offering ultra-rapid meals.

Restaurants, he added, will also need to reach out to consumers by offering take-away meals “as consumers will increasingly be demanding this type of service.”

In the meantime, at the other end of the scale, one of France’s lesser-ranking restaurants, the Flunch self-serve chain, has hired a top chef as consultant and is offering today’s health-conscious diners unlimited servings of five to seven different vegetables a meal.

Source: AFP

根據進化心理學，不光女性，男性先天也有這種淘金傾向，目的都是為了讓自己的基因儘可能延續下去。

星期泰晤士報報導，紐卡索大學心理學者波勒特（Thomas Pollet）等人取材一項針對中國5000名民眾生活習慣的深度訪談資料，分析其中1534名有男性伴侶的女性，發現男伴收入對她們達到性高潮的頻率有極大正面影響。

不僅中國女性如此，先前在德國和美國進行的研究也顯示，女性的性高潮頻率雖還受男伴五官、身材端正與否以及有無魅力等影響，但金錢似乎仍是更重要因素。

美國奧斯汀德州大學心理學教授巴斯（David Buss）在其著作《欲望的進化》（暫譯，The Evolution of Desire）中指出，性高潮能讓女性對條件優異男性的感情更上層樓，或者性高潮可能是女性性滿足而不會另覓炒飯對象的信號，箇中涵義是：「我對你忠貞不二，所以你應該投資在我和我的後代上。」