scholarly journals Women’s Preferences for Sexual Dimorphism in Faces: Data from a Sample of Arab Women

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 328-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. H. Alharbi ◽  
Iris J. Holzleitner ◽  
Anthony J. Lee ◽  
S. Adil Saribay ◽  
Benedict C. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Arab Women ◽  
Face Shape ◽  
Face Images ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Women’S Preferences ◽  
Shape Characteristics ◽  
Positive Effect

Abstract Many previous studies have investigated the effects of manipulating sexually dimorphic shape characteristics in face images on attractiveness judgments. However, results have been mixed and show considerable cross-cultural variability, particularly for women’s judgments of men’s facial attractiveness. Because very little research has investigated face preferences in Arab samples, we assessed Arab women’s preferences for sexually dimorphic face shapes (study 1) and the effect of sexually dimorphic face shapes on Arab women’s dominance perceptions (study 2). Analyses showed that Arab women preferred feminized versions of both women’s and men’s faces over masculinized versions (study 1, N = 272) and that masculinizing face shape had a positive effect on Arab women’s perceptions of the dominance of men, but not women (study 2, N = 270). These image manipulations did not have a significant effect on perceptions of trustworthiness, however (study 3, N = 434). Collectively, these results suggest that Arab women prefer relatively feminine face shapes in potential mates that they perceive as being low dominance. We discuss some directions for future research on the ultimate function of Arab women’s preferences for sexual dimorphism in faces

scholarly journals Women’s preferences for sexual dimorphism in faces: Data from a sample of Arab women

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Aied Alharbi ◽  
Iris Jasmin Holzleitner ◽  
Anthony J Lee ◽  
Selahattin Adil Saribay ◽  
Benedict C Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Arab Women ◽  
Face Shape ◽  
Face Images ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Women’S Preferences ◽  
Shape Characteristics ◽  
Positive Effect

Many previous studies have investigated the effects of manipulating sexually dimorphic shape characteristics in face images on attractiveness judgments. However, results have been mixed and show considerable cross-cultural variability, particularly for women’s judgments of men’s facial attractiveness. Because very little research has investigated face preferences in Arab samples, we assessed Arab women’s preferences for sexually dimorphic face shapes (Study 1) and the effect of sexually dimorphic face shapes on Arab women’s dominance perceptions (Study 2). Analyses showed that Arab women preferred feminized versions of both women’s and men’s faces over masculinized versions (Study 1, N = 272) and that masculinizing face shape had a positive effect on Arab women’s perceptions of the dominance of men, but not women (Study 2, N = 270). These image manipulations did not have a significant effect on perceptions of trustworthiness, however (Study 3, N = 434). Collectively, these results suggest that Arab women prefer relatively feminine face shapes in potential mates that they perceive as being low dominance. We discuss some directions for future research on the ultimate function of Arab women’s preferences for sexual dimorphism in faces

scholarly journals Sexual orientation predicts women’s preferences for sexually dimorphic face-shape characteristics

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Kenji Medeiros Shiramizu ◽  
Lisa Marie DeBruine ◽  
Benedict C Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Visual Experience ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Face Shape ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Women’S Preferences ◽  
Shape Characteristics

Previous research has suggested that heterosexual women show stronger preferences for images of male faces displaying masculine shape characteristics than do homosexual women. Because many other findings regarding individual differences in women’s masculinity preferences have not replicated in subsequent studies, we carried out a direct replication of Glassenberg et al’s (2010) comparison of heterosexual and homosexual women’s preferences for sexually dimorphic face-shape characteristics. In common with Glassenberg et al., our replication study found that heterosexual women (N = 20,360) showed stronger preferences for masculine men that did homosexual women (N = 1598). This association between women’s sexual orientation and masculinity preferences is consistent with the proposal that heterosexual women’s masculinity preferences, at least partly, reflect hypothesized benefits to offspring fathered by masculine men. However, we also emphasize the importance of testing alternative explanations in future research, such as those that might stem from between-group differences in visual experience with different types of faces.

scholarly journals Sexual orientation predicts men’s preferences for sexually dimorphic face-shape characteristics: a replication study.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victor Kenji Medeiros Shiramizu ◽  
Ciaran Docherty ◽  
Lisa Marie DeBruine ◽  
Benedict C Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Individual Differences ◽  
Mate Choice ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Romantic Partners ◽  
Replication Study ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Face Shape ◽  
Shape Characteristics

Many researchers have proposed that straight men prefer women’s faces displaying feminine shape characteristics at least partly because mating with such women will produce healthier offspring. Although a prediction of this adaptation-for-mate-choice hypothesis is that straight men will show stronger preferences for feminized versus masculinized versions of women’s faces than will gay men, only one previous study has directly tested this prediction. Here we directly replicated that study by comparing 623 gay and 3163 straight men’s preferences for feminized versus masculinized versions of faces. Consistent with the adaptation-for-mate-choice hypothesis of straight men’s femininity preferences, we found that straight men showed significantly stronger preferences for feminized female faces than did gay men. Consistent with previous research suggesting that gay men place a premium on masculinity in potential romantic partners, we also found that gay men showed significantly stronger preferences for masculinized versions of male faces than did straight men. Together, these findings indicate the sexual orientation contributes to individual differences in men’s face preferences.

scholarly journals Facial masculinity increases perceptions of men’s age, but not perceptions of their health: Data from an Arab sample

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Aied Alharbi ◽  
Iris Jasmin Holzleitner ◽  
Anthony J Lee ◽  
Selahattin Adil Saribay ◽  
Benedict C Jones
Keyword(s):  
Men’S Health ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Men's Health ◽  
Arab Women ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Face Images ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Empirical Tests

Masculine characteristics in men’s faces are often assumed to function as health cues. However, evidence for this assumption from empirical tests is mixed. For example, research on western women’s face perceptions found that masculinised versions of men’s faces were perceived to be older, but not healthier, than feminised versions. Since research on this topic has focused on western women’s face perceptions, we investigated the effects of masculinizing face images on Arab women’s perceptions of men’s health (Study 1, N = 211) and age (Study 2, N = 209). Arab women perceived masculinized versions of male face images to be older, but not healthier, than feminized versions. These results add to a growing body of evidence challenging the assumption that male facial masculinity functions primarily as a health cue.

scholarly journals Does Self-rated Attractiveness Predict Women’s Preferences for Facial Masculinity? Data From an Arab Sample

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah A. H. Alharbi ◽  
Iris J. Holzleitner ◽  
S. Adil Saribay ◽  
Benedict C. Jones ◽  
Anthony J. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Mating Strategies ◽  
Arab Women ◽  
Compelling Evidence ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Face Images ◽  
Women’S Preferences ◽  
Physically Attractive ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Objectives Because more attractive women may be better able to attract and/or retain masculine mates, many researchers have proposed that women who consider themselves to be more physically attractive will show stronger preferences for men displaying masculine facial characteristics. Empirical evidence for this putative association between women’s self-rated attractiveness and preference for facial masculinity has come almost entirely from studies of Western women. Thus, we investigated whether this pattern of results also occurs in a sample of non-Western women. Methods We investigated the relationship between self-rated attractiveness and facial-masculinity preferences in a sample of Arab women (N = 281). Facial-masculinity preferences were assessed from attractiveness judgments of masculinized versus feminized versions of face images. Results By contrast with previous findings for Western women’s self-rated attractiveness, we observed no compelling evidence that Arab women who considered themselves to be more attractive showed stronger preferences for masculine men. Conclusions Our results suggest that previously reported associations between self-rated attractiveness and masculinity preferences might be somewhat culture specific, potentially reflecting cultural differences in typical mating strategies.

scholarly journals Facial Masculinity Increases Perceptions of Men’s Age, But Not Perceptions of Their Health: Data From an Arab Sample

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah AH Alharbi ◽  
Iris J Holzleitner ◽  
Anthony J Lee ◽  
S Adil Saribay ◽  
Benedict C Jones
Keyword(s):  
Men’S Health ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Health Study ◽  
Men's Health ◽  
Arab Women ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Face Images ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Women’S Perceptions ◽  
Empirical Tests

Abstract Masculine characteristics in men’s faces are often assumed to function as health cues. However, evidence for this assumption from empirical tests is mixed. For example, research on Western women’s face perceptions found that masculinized versions of men’s faces were perceived to be older, but not healthier, than feminized versions. Since research on this topic has focused on Western women’s face perceptions, we investigated the effects of masculinizing face images on Arab women’s perceptions of men’s health (study 1, N = 211) and age (study 2, N = 209). Arab women perceived masculinized versions of male face images to be older, but not healthier, than feminized versions. These results add to a growing body of evidence challenging the assumption that male facial masculinity functions primarily as a health cue.

scholarly journals Integrating Gaze Direction and Sexual Dimorphism of Face Shape When Perceiving the Dominance of Others

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p6347 ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (9) ◽  
pp. 1275-1283 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie C Main ◽  
Benedict C Jones ◽  
Lisa M DeBruine ◽  
Anthony C Little
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Social Perception ◽  
Gaze Direction ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Direct Gaze ◽  
Face Shape ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
Averted Gaze ◽  
Gaze Cues

Although gaze direction and face shape have each been shown to affect perceptions of the dominance of others, the question whether gaze direction and face shape have independent main effects on perceptions of dominance, and whether these effects interact, has not yet been studied. To investigate this issue, we compared dominance ratings of faces with masculinised shapes and direct gaze, masculinised shapes and averted gaze, feminised shapes and direct gaze, and feminised shapes and averted gaze. While faces with direct gaze were generally rated as more dominant than those with averted gaze, this effect of gaze direction was greater when judging faces with masculinised shapes than when judging faces with feminised shapes. Additionally, faces with masculinised shapes were rated as more dominant than those with feminised shapes when faces were presented with direct gaze, but not when faces were presented with averted gaze. Collectively, these findings reveal an interaction between the effects of gaze direction and sexually dimorphic facial cues on judgments of the dominance of others, presenting novel evidence for the existence of complex integrative processes that underpin social perception of faces. Integrating information from face shape and gaze cues may increase the efficiency with which we perceive the dominance of others.

scholarly journals Facial metrics generated from manually and automatically placed image landmarks are highly correlated

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Lee Jones ◽  
Christoph Schild ◽  
Benedict C Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Social Perception ◽  
East Asian ◽  
Social Judgments ◽  
Height Ratio ◽  
Face Shape ◽  
Face Images ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Automatic Placement ◽  
Highly Correlated

Research on social judgments of faces often investigates relationships between measures of face shape taken from images (facial metrics), and either perceptual ratings of the faces on various traits (e.g., attractiveness) or characteristics of the photographed individual (e.g., their health). A barrier to carrying out this research using large numbers of face images is the time it takes to manually position the landmarks from which these facial metrics are derived. Although research in face recognition has led to the development of algorithms that can automatically position landmarks on face images, the utility of such methods for deriving facial metrics commonly used in research on social judgments of faces has not yet been established. Thus, across two studies, we investigated the correlations between four facial metrics commonly used in social perception research (sexual dimorphism, distinctiveness, bilateral asymmetry, and facial width to height ratio) when measured from manually and automatically placed landmarks. In the first study, in two independent sets of open access face images, we found that facial metrics derived from manually and automatically placed landmarks were typically highly correlated, in both raw and Procrustes-fitted representations. In study two, we investigated the potential for automatic landmark placement to differ between White and East Asian faces. We found that two metrics, facial width to height ratio and sexual dimorphism, were better approximated by automatic landmarks in East Asian faces. However, this difference was small, and easily corrected with outlier detection. These data validate the use of automatically placed landmarks for calculating facial metrics to use in research on social judgments of faces, but we urge caution in their use. We also provide a tutorial for the automatic placement of landmarks on face images.

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