scholarly journals Young, formidable men show greater sensitivity to facial cues of dominance

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Richardson ◽  
Matthew Waddington ◽  
R. Tucker Gilman
Keyword(s):  
Social Dominance ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Total N ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Considerable Evidence ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Human Male ◽  
Physical Dominance

There is considerable evidence that human male faces contain honest, detectable cues to their physical dominance, which are related to their objective facial masculinity. As such, some have argued that the extent to which observers’ rate masculinised male faces as appearing more physically dominant is a useful measure of their ability to detect cues of dominance and threat in other men. We found across 3 studies (total n = 272) that younger, taller, and stronger men showed greater sensitivity to facial cues of dominance. Additionally, participants were more likely to associate younger than older masculinised faces with physical dominance. Self-perceived social dominance did not moderate perceptions. These results contrast with previous work which found that shorter, less socially dominant men had greater ability to detect facial cues of dominance. We propose the hypothesis that younger, more formidable males show greater sensitivity to facial cues of dominance as they are more likely to engage in violent intrasexual competition.

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.

Referencing Race = Racist? Examining Perceptions of References to a Target’s Race as Offensive

2021 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 459-481
Author(s):  
Conor J. O’Dea ◽  
Bayleigh N. Smith ◽  
Donald A. Saucier
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Important Implication ◽  
Negative Emotion ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Total N ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Majority Group ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Linguistic Functions

We examined majority group members’ perceptions of racial slurs, compared to what we have labeled as combination terms. These combination terms possess the same semantic and pragmatic linguistic functions as racial slurs, functioning to express negative emotion toward, and to describe, a target. Across three studies (total N = 943) racial slurs were not perceived as significantly different from combination terms. We then examined whether participants higher in social dominance beliefs reported greater perceived justification for using combination terms over racial slurs because of their lack of historical denigration of marginalized groups that racial slurs have. Participants, even those higher in socially dominant attitudes, did not perceive greater justification for the use of combination terms than racial slurs. Indeed, an important implication is that race-marking, an understudied area of social psychology, paired with general derogative terms produces terms which may function similarly to racial slurs, but, fortunately, are also similarly vilified in modern society.

scholarly journals Swaying to the extreme: Group relative deprivation predicts voting for an extreme right party in the French presidential election

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karolina Urbanska ◽  
Serge Guimond
Keyword(s):  
Collective Action ◽  
Presidential Election ◽  
Social Dominance ◽  
Relative Deprivation ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
French Population ◽  
Extreme Right ◽  
Protest Movements ◽  
Considerable Evidence

Why do people vote for the extreme right (ER)? Despite considerable evidence suggesting therole of group relative deprivation (GRD) in accounting for prejudice, collective action andsupport for protest movements, there is surprisingly little research that has tested the impactof various types of relative deprivation in explaining the support for the ER. Using a large andrepresentative sample of the French population tested before the 2012 presidential election,we hypothesised and found that GRD is a better predictor of the intention to vote for MarineLe Pen, the ER candidate, than individual relative deprivation. GRD remained a significantpredictor of voting for the ER even when controlling for social dominance orientation andprejudice, while it did not predict self-placement on the left-right political continuum. Thus,the sense that the French as a group are unjustly treated compared to immigrants living inFrance underpins the vote for the ER but not, as we demonstrate, for any other populist party.We discuss how the rhetoric of the ER parties can appeal to voters and expand their base overand above the support coming from those who are overtly prejudiced. Data andsupplementary materials [doi: 10.17605/OSF.IO/C3K9Y]

scholarly journals Does Adult Sex Ratio Predict Regional Variation in Facial Dominance Perceptions? Evidence From an Analysis of U.S. States

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 147470491877674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaimie S. Torrance ◽  
Michal Kandrik ◽  
Anthony J. Lee ◽  
Lisa M. DeBruine ◽  
Benedict C. Jones
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Mixed Models ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Linear Mixed Models ◽  
Local Population ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Geographical Differences ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
High Dominance ◽  
Physical Dominance

When the adult sex ratio of the local population is biased toward women, men face greater costs due to increased direct intrasexual competition. In order to mitigate these costs, men may be more attuned to cues of other men’s physical dominance under these conditions. Consequently, we investigated the relationships between the extent to which people ( N = 3,586) ascribed high dominance to masculinized versus feminized faces and variation in adult sex ratio across U.S. states. Linear mixed models showed that masculinized faces were perceived as more dominant than feminized faces, particularly for judgments of men’s facial dominance. Dominance perceptions were weakly related to adult sex ratio, and this relationship was not moderated by face sex, participant sex, or their interaction. Thus, our results suggest that dominance perceptions are relatively unaffected by broad geographical differences in adult sex ratios.

scholarly journals Observers use facial masculinity to make physical dominance assessments following 100‐ms exposure

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Albert ◽  
Erika Wells ◽  
Steven Arnocky ◽  
Chang Hong Liu ◽  
Carolyn R. Hodges‐Simeon
Keyword(s):  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Physical Dominance

scholarly journals Men's Facial Masculinity: When (Body) Size Matters

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p7673 ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (11) ◽  
pp. 1191-1202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iris J Holzleitner ◽  
David W Hunter ◽  
Bernard P Tiddeman ◽  
Alassane Seck ◽  
Daniel E Re ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Height ◽  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Face Shape ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
The Face ◽  
Average Face ◽  
Independent Effects

Recent studies suggest that judgments of facial masculinity reflect more than sexually dimorphic shape. Here, we investigated whether the perception of masculinity is influenced by facial cues to body height and weight. We used the average differences in three-dimensional face shape of forty men and forty women to compute a morphological masculinity score, and derived analogous measures for facial correlates of height and weight based on the average face shape of short and tall, and light and heavy men. We found that facial cues to body height and weight had substantial and independent effects on the perception of masculinity. Our findings suggest that men are perceived as more masculine if they appear taller and heavier, independent of how much their face shape differs from women's. We describe a simple method to quantify how body traits are reflected in the face and to define the physical basis of psychological attributions.

scholarly journals The Abercrombie & Fitch Effect: The Impact of Physical Dominance on Male Customers' Status-Signaling Consumption

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Otterbring ◽  
Christine Ringler ◽  
Nancy J. Sirianni ◽  
Anders Gustafsson
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Evolutionary Psychology ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Lay Theory ◽  
Status Signaling ◽  
Male Employee ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Physical Dominance ◽  
Brand Logos

Consumer lay theory suggests that women will spend more money than men in the presence of a physically dominant male employee, whereas theories of intrasexual competition from evolutionary psychology predict the opposite outcome. A retail field study demonstrates that male customers spend more money and purchase more expensive products than their female counterparts in the presence (vs. absence) of a physically dominant male employee. This effect has a more powerful impact on male customers who lack bodily markers of dominance (shorter stature or measures linked to lower levels of testosterone). When confronted with other physically dominant (vs. nondominant) men, these male customers are particularly prone to signal status through price or logo size. Their elevated feelings of intrasexual (male-to-male) competitiveness drive them to spend more money on status-signaling, but not functional, products and to prefer and draw larger brand logos. Because pictorial exposure is sufficient for the effect to occur, these findings are not limited to in-store interactions with dominant male employees but have broad implications for marketing and advertising.

scholarly journals The Role of Facial Attractiveness and Facial Masculinity/Femininity in Sex Classification of Faces

Perception ◽  
10.1068/p5154 ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 34 (12) ◽  
pp. 1459-1474 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca A Hoss ◽  
Jennifer L Ramsey ◽  
Angela M Griffin ◽  
Judith H Langlois
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Facial Attractiveness ◽  
Developmental Differences ◽  
Facial Cues ◽  
Facial Masculinity ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Speed And Accuracy

We tested whether adults (experiment 1) and 4–5-year-old children (experiment 2) identify the sex of highly attractive faces faster and more accurately than not very attractive faces in a reaction-time task. We also assessed whether facial masculinity/femininity facilitated identification of sex. Results showed that attractiveness facilitated adults' sex classification of both female and male faces and children's sex classification of female, but not male, faces. Moreover, attractiveness affected the speed and accuracy of sex classification independently of masculinity/femininity. High masculinity in male faces, but not high femininity in female faces, also facilitated sex classification for both adults and children. These findings provide important new data on how the facial cues of attractiveness and masculinity/femininity contribute to the task of sex classification and provide evidence for developmental differences in how adults and children use these cues. Additionally, these findings provide support for Langlois and Roggman's (1990 Psychological Science1 115–121) averageness theory of attractiveness.

scholarly journals A night on the town: when the importance of mate acquisition overrides intrasexual competition

2014 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abraham P. Buunk ◽  
Karlijn Massar
Keyword(s):  
Social Dominance ◽  
Intrasexual Competition ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Neutral Context ◽  
Sociosexual Orientation ◽  
The Social ◽  
Opposite Sex ◽  
Mate Acquisition ◽  
Physically Attractive ◽  
The Town

Abstract: It is argued that, while men may be intrasexually more competitive than women, to attract potential mates, men will, more than women, associate with same-sex friends who are attractive to the opposite sex. Therefore, more than women, men will choose more physically attractive and dominant companions in a mating context than in a neutral context. In Study 1 among 262 participants a mating scenario (going to a party) and a neutral scenario (seeing a movie) were developed, and it was shown that the mating scenario did indeed induce more a mating context than the neutral scenario. In Study 2 among 167 participants the hypotheses were tested by examining the preferences for a companion in both scenarios. The findings from Study 2 supported the predictions. In response to the mating as compared to the neutral scenario, men, but not women, found the attractiveness of a companion more important, preferred a more socially dominant companion, and found the social dominance of a companion more important. Men as well as women preferred in general companions who were less attractive than themselves, but preferred a more attractive companion in a mating than in a neutral context. The effects for social dominance were in general more pronounced among individuals high in sociosexual orientation (SOI). To conclude especially mens’ attitude towards same sex others in a mating context may be driven by the desire to associate, rather than to compete, with same-sex others who are attractive to the opposite sex.

Social Dominance Orientation Predicts Opposition to Hierarchy-Attenuating Intergroup Apologies

2019 ◽  
Vol 45 (12) ◽  
pp. 1651-1665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanishka Karunaratne ◽  
Simon M. Laham
Keyword(s):  
Social Dominance ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Social Dominance Orientation ◽  
International Study ◽  
Social Hierarchy ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Social Hierarchies ◽  
Total N ◽  
Negative Effect

People who value social hierarchy may resist giving intergroup apologies because such apologies may attenuate the very hierarchies that these people value. We tested this claim across four studies (total N = 541) by examining associations between social dominance orientation (SDO)—a measure of preference for social hierarchy—and support for intergroup apologies. We found that higher SDO scores, and specifically the antiegalitarianism subdimension (social dominance orientation–egalitarianism [SDO-E]), predicted less apology support among U.S. residents in both domestic (Study 1) and international (Study 2) contexts. In Study 3, we found that the effect generalizes to an Australian cultural context. In Study 4, we demonstrated that the negative effect of SDO-E can extend to third-party contexts and is only observed when apologizing would be hierarchy attenuating. These studies show that the desire to maintain social hierarchies is an important driver of opposition to hierarchy-attenuating intergroup apologies.

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