Why older fathers have less attractive children

According to research, children of older fathers are likely to be less attractive due to the increased risk of genetic mutations.

17:58 27 March 2014

A new study claims that older fathers are more likely to have less attractive children when compared to younger ones due to an increased risk of mutation.

Previous studies have already established that children of older men are at greater risk of autism, bipolar disorder, low IQ, and schizophrenia.

Martin Fieder, associate professor in anthropology at the University of Vienna, told The Sunday Times: “We found a significant negative effect between paternal age and people’s facial attractiveness.”

“The effect is very visible. Someone born to a father of 22 is already 5 – 10 per cent more attractive than those with a 40-year-old father and the difference grows with the age gap.”

Researchers asked volunteers to rate the attractiveness of more than 8,000 men and women. Results suggest that people with older fathers were rated less attractive than those with younger fathers.

The study did not consider the age of the mothers.

Molecular genetic studies have shown that the sperm from older men have far more mutations than those of younger men.

Over the past 40 years, the average age of childbearing in England has been increasing steadily for both men and women.