Facial attractiveness and preference of sexual dimorphism: A comparison across five populations

A pesar de las intensas investigaciones, la psicología evolutiva aún no ha llegado a un consenso sobre la asociación entre dimorfismo sexual y atractivo. Este estudio examina las asociaciones entre el dimorfismo sexual facial percibido y morfológico y el atractivo percibido en muestras de cinco países distantes (Camerún, Colombia, Chequia, Irán y Turquía). También examinamos los posibles efectos moderadores de la claridad de la piel, la promedialidad, la edad, la masa corporal y la anchura facial. Nuestros resultados sugieren que, en todas las muestras, la feminidad percibida por las mujeres estaba positivamente relacionada con su atractivo percibido. Las mujeres sólo encontraron atractiva la masculinidad percibida en los hombres en Chequia y Colombia, dos poblaciones distantes. Así pues, la asociación entre el dimorfismo sexual percibido y el atractivo es potencialmente universal sólo para las mujeres. En todas las poblaciones, el dimorfismo sexual morfológico y la promedialidad no se asocian universalmente ni con el dimorfismo sexual facial percibido ni con el atractivo. Con nuestro enfoque exploratorio, los resultados ponen de relieve la necesidad de controlar qué medida de dimorfismo sexual se utiliza (percibido o medido), ya que afectan de manera diferente al atractivo percibido. El promedio morfológico y el dimorfismo sexual no son buenos predictores del atractivo percibido. Se señala que los estudios futuros deberían utilizar más muestras de población para poder identificar los efectos específicos de las condiciones ambientales y socioeconómicas locales sobre los rasgos preferidos en estímulos faciales locales no manipulados.Despite intensive research, evolutionary psychology has not yet reached a consensus regarding the association between sexual dimorphism and attractiveness. This study examines associations between perceived and morphological facial sexual dimorphism and perceived attractiveness in samples from five distant countries (Cameroon, Colombia, Czechia, Iran, and Turkey). We also examined possible moderating effects of skin lightness, averageness, age, body mass, and facial width. Our results suggest that in all samples, women’s perceived femininity was positively related to their perceived attractiveness. Women found perceived masculinity in men attractive only in Czechia and Colombia, two distant populations. The association between perceived sexual dimorphism and attractiveness is thus potentially universal only for women. Across populations, morphological sexual dimorphism and averageness are not universally associated with either perceived facial sexual dimorphism or attractiveness. With our exploratory approach, results highlight the need for control of which measure of sexual dimorphism is used (perceived or measured) because they affect perceived attractiveness differently. Morphological averageness and sexual dimorphism are not good predictors of perceived attractiveness. It is noted that future studies should use more population samples to allow for identification of specific effects of local environmental and socioeconomic conditions on preferred traits in unmanipulated local facial stimuli

Predictors of Fighting Ability Inferences Based on Faces

Facial perception plays a key role in various social interactions, including formidability assessments. People make relatively accurate inferences about men's physical strength, aggressiveness, and success in physical confrontations based on facial cues. The physical factors related to the perception of fighting ability and their relative contribution have not been investigated yet, since most existing studies employed only a limited number of threat potential measures or proxies. In the present study, we collected data from Czech Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters regarding their fighting success and physical performance in order to test physical predictors of perceived fighting ability made on the basis of high-fidelity facial photographs. We have also explored the relationship between perceived and actual fighting ability. We created standardized 360° photographs of 44 MMA fighters which were assessed on their perceived fighting ability by 94 raters (46 males). Further, we obtained data regarding their physical characteristics (e.g., age, height, body composition) and performance (MMA score, isometric strength, anaerobic performance, lung capacity). In contrast to previous studies, we did not find any significant links between the actual and the perceived fighting ability. The results of a multiple regression analysis have, however, shown that heavier fighters and those with higher anaerobic performance were judged as more successful. Our results suggest that certain physical performance-related characteristics are mirrored in individuals' faces but assessments of fighting success based on facial cues are not congruent with actual fighting performance

Emotional expression in human odour

Recent work has demonstrated that human body odour alters with changing emotional state and that emotionally laden odours can affect the physiology and behaviour of people exposed to them. Here we review these discoveries, which we believe add to a growing recognition that the human sense of smell and its potential role in social interactions have been underappreciated. However, we also critically evaluate the current evidence, with a particular focus on methodology and the interpretation of emotional odour studies. We argue that while the evidence convincingly indicates that humans retain a capacity for olfactory communication of emotion, the extent to which this occurs in ordinary social interaction remains an open question. Future studies should place fewer restrictions on participant selection and lifestyle and adopt more realistic experimental designs. We also need to devote more consideration to underlying mechanisms and to recognise the constraints that these may place on effective communication. Finally, we outline some promising approaches to address these issues, and raise some broader theoretical questions that such approaches may help us to answer

Cross-modal associations of human body odour attractiveness with facial and vocal attractiveness provide little support for the backup signals hypothesis: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Assessing the attractiveness of potential mating partners typically involves multiple sensory modalities, including the integration of olfactory, visual, and auditory cues. However, predictions diverge on how the individual modalities should relate to each other. According to the backup signals hypothesis, multimodal cues provide redundant information, whereas the multiple messages hypothesis suggests that different modalities provide independent and distinct information about an individual's mating-related quality. The backup signals hypothesis predicts a positive association between assessments based on different modalities, whereas no substantial correlation across modalities is expected under the multiple messageshypothesis. Previous studies testing the two hypotheses have provided mixed results, and a systematic evaluation is currently missing. We performed a systematic review and a meta-analysis of published and unpublished studies to examine the congruence in assessments between human body odour and facial attractiveness, and between body odour and vocal attractiveness. We found positive but weak associations between ratings of body odours and faces (r = 0.1, k = 25), and between body odours and voices (r = 0.1, k = 9). No sex differences were observed in the magnitude of effects. Compared to judgments of facial and vocal attractiveness, our results suggest that assessment of body odour provides independent and non-redundant information about human mating-related quality. Our findings thus provide little support for the backup signals hypothesis and may be better explained by the multiple messages hypothesis

Physical Attractiveness of Human Male Body in the Perspective of Evolutionary Science

Studium humanitní vzdělanosti - Společenskovědní modulLiberal Arts and Humanities - Social Sciences ModuleFaculty of HumanitiesFakulta humanitních studi

Factors affecting perception of human male body

According to previous research physical attractiveness plays an important role in our everyday life. People are treated differently on the basis of their physical appearance and from an evolutionary point of view physical attractiveness is a key factor in mate selection, being a cue of an individual's mate value and genetic qualities. Research shows that the highest attractiveness ratings tend to be given to physiques with a higher level of development of lean muscle mass and a V shaped upper body. Such a physique body constitution could indicates how a high level of physical fitness and a man's health of man and be a cue of the man's qualities as a mating partner. However, results of the previous studies are inconclusive due to the methods and stimuli employed. To address the shortcomings exhibited by the previous studies investigations, we ran two online studies. In the first study, women rated the attractiveness of a new and more extensive set of black and gray silhouettes derived from photos of the somatotypes. In the second study, we tested whether physical attractiveness of men can be increased by a voluntary change of their upper body shape. In both studies we were testing how interindividual differences of the female raters modulate the ratings of attractiveness. Results of the first study..

Relationship between male facial morphology and assessments of fighting ability

Social interactions may sometimes collide and result in conflicts which can be solved among others by means of physical violence. However, physical confrontations entail a risk of injuries and other fitness-affecting consequences. Thus, it seems likely that cognitive and behavioural processes to assess the fighting ability may have evolved by means of natural selection. This would facilitate adaptive decisions and responses to decrease costs and increase benefits from potential confrontations. Behavioural characteristics are often assessed according to physical traits such as facial appearance. People are relatively accurate in attributions of certain characteristics from facial traits, like physical strength or propensity for aggression. However, previous research was not based on data about actual fighting ability. Therefore, we conducted a series of empirical studies testing perception of formidability, accuracy of the perception and attempted to identify facial morphological traits related to the assessments and actual fighting performance. To test these issues, we employed Mixed Martial Arts contestants and used their record of victories and defeats. The results of our first study revealed that people are indeed able to relatively accurately assess the fighting ability of others. The fighting..

Vztah percepce mužského obličeje a schopnosti obstát ve fyzické konfrontaci

Sociální interakce mohou někdy vyústit v neporozumění a konflikt, který lze řešit mimo jiné i za použití fyzického násilí. Fyzická konfrontace s sebou nese i rizika zranění nebo jiných, biologickou zdatnost ovlivňujících, následků. Dá se tedy očekávat, že se pomocí přírodního výběru vyvinuly kognitivní a behaviorální procesy ke zhodnocení bojeschopnosti ostatních, které by jedinci pomáhaly se adekvátně a adaptivně rozhodnout tak, aby minimalizoval ztráty a maximalizoval své zisky z případné konfrontace. Hodnocení ostatních často probíhá na základě fyzického vzhledu, například vzhledu obličeje. Lidé jsou na základě rysů tváře schopni poměrně přesně a rychle přisuzovat vlastnosti, jako je fyzická síla nebo sklony k agresivitě. Nicméně slabinou dosavadních výzkumů je, že nebyly založeny na skutečné schopnosti obstát ve fyzické konfrontaci. Z tohoto důvodu jsme v sérii empirických studií testovali hodnocení bojeschopnosti, přesnost tohoto hodnocení a zkoumali morfologii obličeje, která je s těmito hodnoceními a skutečnou schopností obstát v souboji spojena. Pro tyto účely jsme využili údaje od bojovníků smíšených bojových umění, včetně počtu jejich výher a proher. Výsledky první studie ukazují, že lidé jsou skutečně schopni na základě rysů obličeje poměrně přesně ohodnotit schopnost daných jedinců...Social interactions may sometimes collide and result in conflicts which can be solved among others by means of physical violence. However, physical confrontations entail a risk of injuries and other fitness-affecting consequences. Thus, it seems likely that cognitive and behavioural processes to assess the fighting ability may have evolved by means of natural selection. This would facilitate adaptive decisions and responses to decrease costs and increase benefits from potential confrontations. Behavioural characteristics are often assessed according to physical traits such as facial appearance. People are relatively accurate in attributions of certain characteristics from facial traits, like physical strength or propensity for aggression. However, previous research was not based on data about actual fighting ability. Therefore, we conducted a series of empirical studies testing perception of formidability, accuracy of the perception and attempted to identify facial morphological traits related to the assessments and actual fighting performance. To test these issues, we employed Mixed Martial Arts contestants and used their record of victories and defeats. The results of our first study revealed that people are indeed able to relatively accurately assess the fighting ability of others. The fighting...Katedra filosofie a dějin přírodních vědDepartment of Philosophy and History of SciencePřírodovědecká fakultaFaculty of Scienc

Choose a more attractive(formidable) face(body) of an MMA figter

A preregistered report that aims to disentangle what drives our choices of the more attractive/formidable human males, how long does this decision takes based on the difference between rated targets and how is it influenced by the gender of the rater

A replication that requires replication: Commentary on Caton et al. (2022)

This paper comments on Caton et al's (2022) direct replication of Třebický et al (2013) . In this commentary, we provide our reflections on several points raised by this direct replication. Specifically, we focus on three main areas: i) a critique of the stimuli used, ii) analytic decisions taken in the original study, and iii) shape analysis of the direct replication