Women who have large chins are more likely to cheat on their partners, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Western Ontario, Rutgers University, the University of Minnesota and  Franklin and Marshall College.

London's Daily Telegraph reports that while women with prominent chins are more sexually active than their friends who have softer features, they are less attractive to men who are looking for a wife. A large chin is caused by a high level of testosterone, the male growth hormone, which is present in all women in varying amounts. It's testosterone that increases sexual assertiveness not only in men, but also in women. So women who have more testosterone are more sexually assertive and apparently have larger chins.

A real-life example: Actress Meg Ryan has a strong chin, and she famously cheated on her husband Dennis Quaid with actor Russell Crowe.

In this study, a group of young women were questioned about their sexual histories and fantasies. Each woman was then rated by a group of men for their desirability as a life partner. Based on this, it was concluded that men who are seeking a wife will shun a woman who has masculine features because they fear she will cheat. Psychologists believe it is linked to their evolutionary desire to have a partner who will produce children for only one man, reports the Telegraph.

"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," the authors wrote in the journal Personality and Individual Differences. "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."

"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," wrote psychologist and study leader Dr. Lorne Campbell from the University of Western Ontario.

--From the Editors at Netscape