Full lips: Angelina Jolie Model looks: Jools Oliver Large eyes: Reese Witherspoon

Chaps, if you’re wondering whether the lady of your dreams wants a big family, the answer could be staring you in the face.

Women with feminine looks are more likely to long for lots of children, according to research – and the softer their features, the bigger a brood they have in mind.

The study suggests that men desperate to be dads should seek women with button noses, large eyes and full lips, as they are likely to want at least four children.

But those less keen on fatherhood would be better setting their sights on less delicate sorts, who may only be interested in having one child.

The St Andrews University scientists believe their finding can be explained by the female sex hormone oestrogen, with high levels making features softer and nurturing the maternal instinct.

The discovery of a link between broodiness and delicate looks could explain the maternal instincts of Hollywood beauty Angelina Jolie, who has adopted three children and had three of her own.

Jools Oliver, a former model, has a family of four with her chef husband Jamie, while actress Reese Witherspoon had two children by the age of 27.

The researchers asked 25 young women how many children they wanted and when they would like to have them, and measured their oestrogen levels.

Miriam Law Smith of St Andrews University’s Perception Lab, which specialises in face research, said: ‘The more oestrogen they had, the more children they wanted. We were surprised to find such a strong result.’

In a second experiment, a different group of young women had their photos taken and were asked about their desire for children.

Dr Law Smith then created a composite image of the faces of the women with the strongest maternal instinct, and another based on the women who were least interested in having a family.

The face made up of the features of the most maternal women was judged as more feminine by a group of male and female volunteers.

On average, the most maternal women wanted 4.3 children – almost three more than those judged to be the least feminine, the journal Hormones and Behaviorreports.

伙计们，如果你想知道你的心上人是否想多要孩子，答案可能就“写在脸上”。

研究表明，长相秀气的女性想要许多孩子的可能性更大，而且五官长得越柔和，想要的孩子更多。

研究指出，那些非常想当爸爸的男性应该去找鼻梁低、眼睛大、嘴唇丰满的女性，因为这种女性很可能至少想生四个小孩。

不过那些不太喜欢做爸爸的人最好去找长相没那么娟秀的女性，她们也许只想要一个小孩。

圣安德鲁斯大学的科学家认为他们的研究发现可以用雌激素来解释，较高的雌激素水平会让五官更柔和，并会激发母性本能。

研究发现的多生多育和清秀长相之间的这一关系可以用来解释好莱坞美女明星安吉丽娜 朱莉的母性本能，朱莉领养了三个小孩，自己还生了三个。

曾做过模特的朱尔斯 奥利弗和她的大厨丈夫杰米生育了四个小孩，而女演员瑞茜 威瑟斯彭在27岁前就有了两个小孩。

研究人员调查了25名年轻女性，问她们想要多少个小孩以及打算什么时候生小孩，并测量了她们的雌激素水平。

圣安德鲁斯大学感知实验室专门从事面部研究的米瑞安 洛 史密斯说，“她们的雌激素水平越高，想要的小孩就越多。实验结果的明确有力让我们感到惊讶。”

在第二项实验中，研究人员给另一组年轻女性拍了照片，并询问她们想要多少小孩。

接着洛 史密斯博士将母性本能最强的女性的脸拼制出一张合成脸，然后把最不愿生小孩的女性的脸也拼成一张合成脸。

包括男性和女性的一组志愿者认为最有母性的女性的五官合成的脸更秀气。

据《荷尔蒙与行为》期刊报道，平均来看，最有母性的女性想要4.3个小孩，比那些被认为长相最不秀气的女性想要的小孩多出近3个。

Vocabulary:

button nose: 塌鼻子

oestrogen: 雌激素