Spencer Aronfeld -- Now With More Facial Hair!

I'm sure what Spencer is saying here is important and very helpful, but I couldn't get past the new George Clooney-like facial hair -- hey, didn't we already miss Movember?

You could have helped cure testicular cancer with that thing!

Face Dances, Part 2

Inquisitive reader 1:24 poses an interesting question in the thread to the preceding post:

SFL are you really that worried your identity will be known if you post a picture of your beard? How about just the left side of your face?

This is a somewhat sensitive topic.

If you must know, I recently had a face job. In particular, I had my jaw reduced and my eyes widened. I did this purely on a whim, which I promise had absolutely nothing to do with this fascinating study:

The composite face on the right is said to be keener on short-term sex

People's attitudes to relationships could be given away by just the look of their face, it has been claimed - with men and women often after the opposite.

Researchers said men generally preferred women they perceive are open to short-term sexual relationships, with women after longer-term matches.

Men with big jaws and small eyes were perceived as less committed by women.

The Universities of Aberdeen and St Andrews worked with Durham University studying 700 people in their 20s.

The scientists said their research showed people could use their perceptions to make more informed partner selection depending on the type of relationship they were after.

This really is the first study to show that people are also sensitive to subtle facial signals about the type of romantic relationships that others might enjoy Dr Ben Jones University of Aberdeen's Face Research Lab

Heterosexual participants were shown pairs of photographs of men and women in their early 20s.

Participants were asked to choose the face that they felt would be more open to short-term sexual relationships, one-night stands and the idea of sex without love.

They were also asked which face they thought was the most attractive for a long or short-term relationship, who was more masculine or feminine, and who they thought was generally attractive.

'Instinctive judgements'

These judgments were compared with the actual attitudes to relationships of the subjects in the photographs determined through a questionnaire.

Researchers said that the results determined many could accurately judge from photographs who would be more interested in a short-term sexual relationship or a long-term relationship.

Women who were open to short-term sexual relationships were usually seen by others as more attractive.

The left face is said to be generally keener on long-term relationships

The men who were more open to casual sex were generally perceived as more masculine-looking, with squarer jaws, larger noses and smaller eyes.

Dr Lynda Boothroyd, of Durham University's psychology department, told the BBC Scotland news website: "This study shows we can make these kind of instinctive judgements for sex. We have a subconscious - not always right but reasonable - guide."

She explained: "Our results suggest that although some people can judge the sexual strategy of others simply from looking at their face, people are not always sure about their judgements possibly because the cues are very subtle.

"Yet preferences for different types of face were actually quite strong. This shows that these initial impressions may be part of how we assess potential mates - or potential rivals - when we first meet them.

So yes at the moment I am working on developing a phony "long-term relationship" game face. Nonetheless, I am mulling over whether and how best to display at least a portion of my charitable facial hair before I must remove it all in the name of scientific progress and knowledge.

I hope 1:24 that I have fully answered your question.

Movember Month Success!

Well thanks to all you big-hearted mensches who contributed to our Movember facial hair growth charity project.

Alas, it is true I could not scale the heights of the Burt Landy handlebar mountain, but I'm proud to say we ranked # 1853 nationally and raised enough money to be invited to the big Movember gala, which we happily attended in New York.

You can see the pictures here.

Although I am still working with my crack camera team to upload a close-cropped shot of my 'stache and chops, I have put up the closest approximation I could find, above.

And don't forget, you can still contribute here -- all money raised is tax-deductible and goes to the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Thanks again.

It's No-Shave Movember!

Ok, so we know some of you are too busy, too lazy, or too disinterested to run in a 5k for charity or anything like that. I know, you are saving your physical energy for your new diet.

Still, there are ways you can give back in these tough times. During November (or Movember), groups all over cyberspace start clean shaven and commit to growing beards or moustaches for at least a month. You can learn all about the Movember movement here:

The Movember Foundation is an Australian based, not for profit, charitable organization that implements the Movember event each year across the globe.

The Movember event creates awareness around men's health issues and raises funds for carefully selected beneficiary partners in each country that are also charitable organizations, with a focus on prostate cancer.

Since its inception as a formal charity in 2004, Movember has raised over $29 million (USD) globally and is continuously working to increase awareness of prostate cancer within the community and change the attitude men have about their health.

Movember's beneficiary partner in the United States is the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), the world's largest philanthropic source of support for prostate cancer. Founded in 1993, the PCF has raised more than $350 million and provided funding for more than 1,400 research projects at nearly 150 institutions worldwide. All funds raised by Movember in the US stay in the US and go directly to the PCF.

The PCF has a simple, yet urgent goal: to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer.

So folks, I decided to jump in and do it. Yes, I have officially decided to grow a mustache wider than Burton Landy.

No wait -- I plan to grow a beard longer than Barton Sacher!

Maybe I'll do both -- hey, it's for a good cause.

The direct link to make donations on SFL's behalf is here.