Predictors of facial attractiveness and health in humans - Foo, Simmons, Rhodes (2017) - Article

What is facial attractiveness and which qualities do we find attractive?

Facial attraction is about the signals that people send about their biological quality, in particular about their health. Properties that have been implicated as signals of biological quality and that we find attractive are related to sexual dimorphism, symmetry, averageness, adiposity and carotenoid-based skin color.

What was the purpose of this study?

The researchers want to be able to use the results of this study to assess whether there are predictive values of attractiveness, perceived health and actual health. They intended to investigate this in three steps. First of all, by investigating whether one of the facial features, including sexual dimorphism, meanness, symmetry, adiposity and skin color, gives a positive result for the attractiveness of the face. The researchers then planned to investigate whether one of the facial features positively predicted perceived health. And finally, as a third step, the researchers planned to study whether one of the features predicts one of the actual health measures. Think of immune function, oxidative stress and the quality of the sperm.

What to tell about predictors of facial attraction and human health?

What is facial attractiveness and which qualities do we find attractive?

Facial attraction is about the signals that people send about their biological quality, in particular about their health. Properties that have been implicated as signals of biological quality and that we find attractive are related to sexual dimorphism, symmetry, averageness, adiposity and carotenoid-based skin color.

What was positively predicted as attractiveness in men and women?

For men, attractiveness is about masculinity, symmetry, averageness and in a negative sense, just as for women, because of adiposity. For women, attractiveness was positively predicted by femininity. The skin color predicted no attraction in either sex. So color probably only plays a limited role when it comes to attractiveness.

Does the appearance predict the actual health of men and women?

The results of the researchers show that there are only weak connections between attractive features and health. The researchers investigated this with the help of measures that were theoretically linked to sexual selection. This included immune function, oxidative stress and sperm quality. Only in men was some evidence found for the phenotype-linked fertility hypothesis.

What was the purpose of this study?

The researchers want to be able to use the results of this study to assess whether there are predictive values of attractiveness, perceived health and actual health. They intended to investigate this in three steps. First of all, by investigating whether one of the facial features, including sexual dimorphism, meanness, symmetry, adiposity and skin color, gives a positive result for the attractiveness of the face. The researchers then planned to investigate whether one of the facial features positively predicted perceived health. And finally, as a third step, the researchers planned to study whether one of the features predicts one of the actual health measures. Think of immune function, oxidative stress and the quality of the sperm.

Is there evidence that female attractiveness means health?

The researchers of this study found no evidence that there is a link between female attractiveness and health. There may be a relationship between female attractiveness and fertility. Increased estrogen levels are positively associated with the likelihood of conception in women. It is possible that men can pick up estrogen-related fertility cues from women via femininity.

Who were the participants in this study?

The researchers conducted their research in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration. A total of one hundred and nine Caucasian men and eighty Caucasian women participated in this study. The age of the participants was between 17 and 35 years. All participants said they were heterosexual. To participate in this study, they received credits or a travel allowance. Forty-four women used different forms of hormonal contraception compared to thirty-six women who did not use hormonal contraception.

Which procedure did the researchers choose?

All participants in this study first attended a one-hour laboratory session. A distinction was made between women who did and women who did not use hormonal contraception. Subsequently, samples were taken from the participants, both urine samples and oxidative stress assays. During the rest period, the researchers took photos of the faces of the participants and asked them to complete a lifestyle questionnaire. It contained questions about the diet and exercise habits of the participants, as well as their perceived stress levels, recent or long-term medical conditions and exposure to various toxins. The purpose of the questionnaires was to identify potential disruptive lifestyle factors that could influence health measures. For the photo, the men were shaved and the women wore no makeup or artificial tanning. They looked straight into the camera and assumed a neutral expression and kept their mouths shut.

How were the photos prepared that were shown to the participants during the research?

With the help of the Psychomorph61 program, all photos were calibrated in color to be able to change subtle random variations in color due to exposure and photographic conditions. The alignment was also adjusted so that all eyes were at the same height on a horizontal surface. The hair, ears and neck were covered with a black oval mask.