All the subtlety of a well-prepared chat-up line can be ruined by a man’s face, which speaks louder than any words to reveal his sexual intentions.

A woman can tell at a glance if the man approaching to woo her is merely after her body or wants a more meaningful relationship, a study indicates.

One look at the hopeful man’s face can be enough to provide her with all the clues she needs to decide if marriage or a one-night stand is the most likely end result. Clues to the man’s intentions include the shape of his jaw, the size of his nose and the shape of his eyes, researchers have found.

Present her with a square jaw, small eyes and a large nose, the trademarks of masculinity, and she will know instinctively that she is dealing with a man more interested in short-term gratification than commitment.

She is more likely to respond favourably to softer, slightly more feminine features than the epitome of masculinity, which she associates with a lack of commitment.

Equally, a man can tell, though with less success, whether a woman is likely to have a relaxed attitude to sex or holds more traditional views. But he has no hope of telling from the first inspection of the woman’s facial features whether it is he who is likely to get lucky or if she will smile upon another man’s advances.

The findings, which are reported in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior , were based on the responses of 700 men and women who were shown pictures of people in their early twenties and composite pictures. The composite pictures were deliberately created to be a representation of the average faces of men and women who displayed willingness to indulge in casual sex and those who preferred to be in a more lasting relationship.

Researchers found that instant perceptions not only had a role in people’s selection of partners, but that their interpretation of faces was more often right than wrong when determining the attitude towards one-night stands.

Lynda Boothroyd, of Durham University and the lead author of the study, said the findings suggested that it was possible to judge someone’s sexual strategy simply from looking at their face.

“Preferences for different types of face were actually quite strong,” she said. “This shows that these initial impressions may be part of how we assess potential mates — or potential rivals — when we first meet them.”

The ability of women to pick out the masculine types who only wanted to stay the night is thought to help them decide which of their suitors should be permitted to father their children.

“Observers are broadly able to identify individuals who are more likely to be interested in short or long-term relationships,” the researchers concluded. “This information may be used by women to avoid men who are less likely to engage in a long-term relationship.”

Ben Jones, of the University of Aberdeen, said it had been found previously that much can be judged from someone’s face, such as health and elements of character, but the new study was the first to show that romantic nature can be read in the face.

“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,” he said.

Men with masculine faces fared worst because women identified them as the most likely to be unfaithful and to make bad parents. The women whose faces were seen as the most attractive were those most likely to be willing to have casual sex. The women were also recognised by the female volunteers as the most beautiful.

Researchers remained puzzled as to why the women most likely to settle for a one-night stand were judged to be the most attractive. It was suggested that the lack of effort required on the part of men compensated for “any costs from long-term relationship breakdown”.

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