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Cited by 2,429Evolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorPersonality Traits and PsychologyAesthetic Perception and Analysis

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 299 of the 299 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Maxims or myths of beauty? A meta-analytic and theoretical review

Langlois, Judith H., Kalakanis, Lisa, Rubenstein, Adam J., Larson, Andrea, Hallam, Monica, Smoot, Monica·2000·Psychological Bulletin
DOI 10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.390
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Abstract

Common maxims about beauty suggest that attractiveness is not important in life. In contrast, both fitness-related evolutionary theory and socialization theory suggest that attractiveness influences development and interaction. In 11 meta-analyses, the authors evaluate these contradictory claims, demonstrating that (a) raters agree about who is and is not attractive, both within and across cultures; (b) attractive children and adults are judged more positively than unattractive children and adults, even by those who know them; (c) attractive children and adults are treated more positively than unattractive children and adults, even by those who know them; and (d) attractive children and adults exhibit more positive behaviors and traits than unattractive children and adults. Results are used to evaluate social and fitness-related evolutionary theories and the veracity of maxims about beauty.

Overview

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.390

Cites

299 of 299 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Citations

Cites

Items 201–299 of 299

Research works printed but not linked: 23

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  4. 10.1037/0021-843X.100.2.181 · DOI
  5. 10.1037/0022-3514.50.5.925 · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.50.5.925 · Paper page
  6. 10.1037/0022-3514.59.1.61 · DOI
  7. 10.1037/0022-3514.68.2.261 · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.68.2.261 · Paper page
  8. Daly, 1990, Evolutionary theory and parental motives., 25
  9. 10.1037/0003-066X.50.3.145 · DOI · Paper page
  10. 10.2307/1129726 · doi:10.2307/1129726 · Paper page
  11. Farkas, 1987, Linear proportions in above- and below-average women's faces., 119
  12. 10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.125 · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.125 · Paper page
  13. 10.1037/0033-2909.111.2.304 · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.111.2.304 · Paper page
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  19. Nunnally, 1978, Psychometric theory.
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  22. Waldrop, 1971, Minor physical anomalies and hyperactive behavior in young children., Vol. 2, 343
  23. 10.1037/0022-3514.65.1.85 · DOI

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Metadata

Authors
Langlois, J. H., Kalakanis, L., Rubenstein, A. J., Larson, A., Hallam, M., & Smoot, M.
Affiliations
The University of Texas at Austin (US)
Venue
Psychological Bulletin
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2000
Volume
126
Issue
3
Pages
390-423
ISSN
  • 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1455
DOI
10.1037/0033-2909.126.3.390
OpenAlex
W2088165831
Cited by
2,429
References
297
Citations by year
2026: 84 · 2025: 105 · 2024: 111 · 2023: 131 · 2022: 116 · 2021: 148 · 2020: 127 · 2019: 131 · 2018: 132 · 2017: 118 · 2016: 126 · 2015: 135 · 2014: 121 · 2013: 129 · 2012: 138
FWCI
20.60
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD021332)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Aesthetic Perception and Analysis
Keywords
physical attractiveness, beauty, attractiveness judgments, evolutionary psychology, socialization theory
MeSH terms
Adult, Animals, Beauty, Child, Biological Evolution, Female, Humans, Interpersonal Relations, Male, Self Concept, Social Behavior, Social Perception

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Data sources

Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.

Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).

Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.