Facial masculinity effects on personality attributions

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas F. Sawyer ◽  
Monica M. Bienias ◽  
Isabel Decian
Keyword(s):  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Personality Attributions

scholarly journals Non-Pregnant and Pregnant Women’s Femininity Preferences in Male Faces: Tests Based on Within- and Between-Sex Sexual Dimorphism Facial Manipulations

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fangfang Wen ◽  
Bin Zuo ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
Shuhan Ma ◽  
Shijie Song ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Chinese Women ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Facial Stimulus ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Facial Stimuli ◽  
Pregnancy Status ◽  
Face Stimuli ◽  
Women’S Preferences

AbstractPast research on women’s preferences for male facial masculinity in Western cultures has produced inconsistent results. Some inconsistency may be related to the use of different facial stimulus manipulations (e.g., between-sex sexual dimorphic facial manipulation or within-sex sexual dimorphic facial manipulation) that do not perfectly avoid non-facial cues, and pregnancy status may also influence women’s face preferences. We therefore recruited pregnant and nonpregnant Chinese women and manipulated the sexual dimorphism of male facial stimuli to explore the influences of manipulation methods, non-facial cues, and pregnancy status on face preferences. Results showed that: (1) in contrast with a general masculinity preference observed in Western cultures, both pregnant and nonpregnant Chinese women preferred feminized and neutral male faces generally; (2) pregnant women’s preference for feminized male faces was stable across manipulation methods, while nonpregnant women preferred feminized male faces except under between-sex sexual dimorphism manipulation; and (3) manipulation methods, rather than non-facial cues, influenced participants’ face preferences. Specifically, women showed the strongest preferences for femininity when face stimuli were manipulated by within-sex sexual dimorphic facial manipulation, followed by unmanipulated faces and between-sex sexual dimorphic facial manipulation. This effect was stronger for nonpregnant women in the unmanipulated condition and for pregnant women in the between-sex sexual dimorphic facial manipulation. This research provides empirical evidence of women’s preferences for sexual dimorphism in male faces in a non-Western culture, as well as the effects of facial manipulation methods, pregnancy status, and the interactions between these factors.

scholarly journals No compelling evidence that preferences for facial masculinity track changes in women’s hormonal status

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedict C Jones ◽  
Amanda C Hahn ◽  
Claire I Fisher ◽  
Hongyi Wang ◽  
Michal Kandrik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oral Contraceptive ◽  
Contraceptive Use ◽  
Steroid Hormone ◽  
Hormonal Status ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Oral Contraceptive Use ◽  
Women’S Preferences

AbstractAlthough widely cited as strong evidence that sexual selection has shaped human facial attractiveness judgments, evidence that preferences for masculine characteristics in men’s faces are related to women’s hormonal status is equivocal and controversial. Consequently, we conducted the largest ever longitudinal study of the hormonal correlates of women’s preferences for facial masculinity (N=584). Analyses showed no compelling evidence that preferences for facial masculinity were related to changes in women’s salivary steroid hormone levels. Furthermore, both within-subject and between-subject comparisons showed no evidence that oral contraceptive use decreased masculinity preferences. However, women generally preferred masculinized over feminized versions of men’s faces, particularly when assessing men’s attractiveness for short-term, rather than long-term, relationships. Our results do not support the hypothesized link between women’s preferences for facial masculinity and their hormonal status.

scholarly journals Do more attractive women show stronger preferences for male facial masculinity?

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ciaran Docherty ◽  
Anthony J Lee ◽  
Amanda Hahn ◽  
Lisa Marie DeBruine ◽  
Benedict C Jones
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Study ◽  
Physical Condition ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Online Study ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Per Se ◽  
Women’S Preferences

Researchers have suggested that more attractive women will show stronger preferences for masculine men because such women are better placed to offset the potential costs of choosing a masculine mate. However, evidence for correlations between measures of women’s own attractiveness and preferences for masculine men is mixed. Moreover, the samples used to test this hypothesis are typically relatively small. Consequently, we conducted two large-scale studies that investigated possible associations between women’s preferences for facial masculinity and their own attractiveness as assessed from third-party ratings of their facial attractiveness (Study 1, N = 454, laboratory study) and self-rated attractiveness (Study 2, N = 8972, online study). Own attractiveness was positively correlated with preferences for masculine men in Study 2 (self-rated attractiveness), but not Study 1 (third-party ratings of facial attractiveness). This pattern of results is consistent with the proposal that women’s beliefs about their own attractiveness, rather than their physical condition per se, underpins attractiveness-contingent masculinity preferences.

scholarly journals Do more attractive women show stronger preferences for male facial masculinity?

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 312-317
Author(s):  
Ciaran Docherty ◽  
Anthony J. Lee ◽  
Amanda C. Hahn ◽  
Lisa M. DeBruine ◽  
Benedict C. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Facial Masculinity

scholarly journals Sexual unfaithfulness can be judged with some accuracy from men's but not women's faces

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 181552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Zhi Foo ◽  
Antonina Loncarevic ◽  
Leigh W. Simmons ◽  
Clare A. M. Sutherland ◽  
Gillian Rhodes
Keyword(s):  
Biological Significance ◽  
Mate Guarding ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Reproductive Costs ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Opposite Sex

We routinely make judgements of trustworthiness from the faces of others. However, the accuracy of such judgements remains contentious. An important context for trustworthiness judgements is sexual unfaithfulness. Accuracy in sexual unfaithfulness judgements may be adaptive for avoiding reproductive costs associated with having an unfaithful partner. Indeed, emerging studies suggest that women, and to a lesser degree, men, show above-chance accuracy in judging sexual unfaithfulness from opposite-sex faces. In the context of mate guarding, it is important not only to assess the likelihood of a partner defecting, but also to detect same-sex poachers. Therefore, here, we examine whether individuals can also judge sexual unfaithfulness (self-reported cheating and poaching behaviour) from same-sex faces. We found above-chance accuracy in judgements of unfaithfulness from same-sex faces in men but not women. Conversely, we found above-chance accuracy for opposite-sex faces in women but not men. Therefore, both men and women showed above-chance accuracy, but only for men's, and not women's, faces. Raters were making accurate (above-chance) judgements of unfaithfulness from men's faces using facial masculinity, a well-established signal of propensity to adopt short-term mating strategies. In summary, we found above-chance accuracy in impressions of unfaithfulness from men's faces. Although very modest, the level of accuracy could nevertheless have biological significance as an evolved adaptation for identifying potential cheaters/poachers.

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