Distinctiveness and femininity, rather than symmetry and masculinity, affect facial attractiveness across the world
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00216208%3A11310%2F24%3A10472157" target="_blank" >RIV/00216208:11310/24:10472157 - isvavai.cz</a>
Alternative codes found
RIV/00216208:11620/24:10472157
Result on the web
<a href="https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=oSzkdcEART" target="_blank" >https://verso.is.cuni.cz/pub/verso.fpl?fname=obd_publikace_handle&handle=oSzkdcEART</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.10.001" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2023.10.001</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Distinctiveness and femininity, rather than symmetry and masculinity, affect facial attractiveness across the world
Original language description
Studies investigating facial attractiveness in humans have frequently been limited to studying the effect of individual morphological factors in isolation from other facial shape components in the same population. In this study, we go beyond this approach by focusing on multiple components and populations while combining geometric morphometrics of 72 standardized frontal facial landmarks and a Bayesian statistical framework. We investigate preferences in both sexes for three structural components of other sex facial beauty that are traditionally considered indicators of biological quality: symmetry, sexual dimorphism, and distinctiveness (i.e., the opposite of averageness). Based on a large sample of faces (n = 1550) from 10 populations across the world (Brazil, Cameroon, Czechia, Colombia, India, Namibia, Romania, Turkey, UK, and Vietnam), we found that distinctiveness negatively affects the perception of attractiveness in both sexes and that this association is stable across all studied populations. We corroborated some previous results indicating both a positive effect of femininity on male assessment of female facial beauty and a null or weak effect of masculinity on female evaluation of male facial attractiveness. Facial symmetry had no effect on facial attractiveness. In concert with other recent studies, our results support the importance of facial prototypicality but cast doubt on the role of symmetry as one of the key constituents of attractiveness in the human face.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10602 - Biology (theoretical, mathematical, thermal, cryobiology, biological rhythm), Evolutionary biology
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/GA21-10527S" target="_blank" >GA21-10527S: Cross-cultural patterns in facial typicality: disentangling the joint effects of sex-typicality, group-typicality, and psychological stereotypes</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2024
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Evolution and Human Behavior
ISSN
1090-5138
e-ISSN
1879-0607
Volume of the periodical
45
Issue of the periodical within the volume
1
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
9
Pages from-to
82-90
UT code for WoS article
001170903100001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85174705570