London, August 10 (ANI): A new piece of research suggests that men who have regular features are likely to stay in better mental shape throughout their lives.

Published in the journal Evolution and Human Behaviour, the study compared reasoning and reaction time test scores with measurements of facial symmetry in 216 men and women studied since 1932.

It found that facial symmetry in men - but not women - was linked to the effects of ageing on mental processes.

According to the results, men with higher levels of facial symmetry, having faces with matching left and right sides, were less prone to mental decline between the ages of 79 and 83.

Facial symmetry may be a reflection of stability in men, indicating fewer disturbances such as diseases, toxins, malnutrition or harmful genetic mutations during an individual’s development.

“Previous research has suggested that cognitive decline is an aspect of body-wide ageing. This link could show that facial symmetry can be used as a marker which could predict this decline,” the Scotsman quoted Dr. Lars Penke, of Edinburgh University, who led the study, as saying.

Studies conducted in the past have already established associations between facial symmetry and general health and perceived attractiveness. (ANI)