Age and the perception of age and attractiveness
Abstract
Subjects of both sexes and two age groups, one ranging from 19 to 30 years and the other from 56 to 88 years, individually made ratings of the attractiveness and age of 12 precategorized artists' drawings of human faces. Significant age group effects were found in age and attractiveness ratings. The findings were viewed from the perspectives of both psychoanalytic and Adlerian theory, the former dealing with the ego's regulation of pleasure and reality issues in the preservation of ego integrity and the latter with compensatory striving.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In terms of perceived attractiveness, both before and after beautification young individuals were rated as significantly more attractive than middle-aged and older individuals.
“In terms of perceived attractiveness, both before and after beautification young individuals were rated as significantly more attractive than middle-aged and older individuals, in accordance with prior work [64–66].”
From What is beautiful is still good: the attractiveness halo effect in the era of beauty filters (2024) · cites this paper as [65]
The perceived age of the stimulus is negatively correlated with perceived attractiveness both before and after beautification (p<0.001).
“Regarding attractiveness, the perceived age of the stimulus (β3) is negatively correlated (p<0.001) both before and after beautification, as has been extensively reported in the literature [64–66].”
From What is beautiful is still good: the attractiveness halo effect in the era of beauty filters (2024) · cites this paper as [65]
Cites
Still being checked.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Attitudes Toward Younger and Older Adults: An Updated Meta‐Analytic Review
Kite, M. E., Stockdale, G. D., Whitley, B. E., & Johnson, B. T. (2005) · Journal of Social Issues · doi:10.1111/j.1540-4560.2005.00404.x · Cited by 790 · see citing works
Attitudes toward older and younger adults: A meta-analysis.
Kite, M. E., & Johnson, B. T. (1988) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037//0882-7974.3.3.233 · Cited by 398 · see citing works
Examining Positive and Negative Perceptions of Older Workers: A Meta-Analysis
Bal, A. C., Reiss, A. E., Rudolph, C. W., & Baltes, B. B. (2011) · The Journals of Gerontology Series B · doi:10.1093/geronb/gbr056 · Cited by 253 · see citing works
Person Perception Comes of Age: The Salience and Significance of Age in Social Judgments
Montepare, J. M., & Zebrowitz, L. A. (1998) · Advances in experimental social psychology · doi:10.1016/s0065-2601(08)60383-4 · Cited by 187 · see citing works
Age of face matters: Age-group differences in ratings of young and old faces
Ebner, N. C. (2008) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/brm.40.1.130 · Cited by 179 · see citing works
Visible skin condition and perception of human facial appearance
Samson, N., Fink, B., & Matts, P. J. (2009) · International Journal of Cosmetic Science · doi:10.1111/j.1468-2494.2009.00535.x · Cited by 160 · see citing works
Foos, P. W., & Clark, M. C. (2011) · The Journal of Genetic Psychology · doi:10.1080/00221325.2010.526154 · Cited by 143 · see citing works
Nguyen, D. D., & Turley, P. K. (1998) · American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics · doi:10.1053/od.1998.v114.a86137 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Adults' Responses to Infants Varying in Appearance of Age and Attractiveness
Ritter, J. M., Casey, R. J., & Langlois, J. H. (1991) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1991.tb01515.x · Cited by 97 · see citing works
Perceived Age and Attractiveness of Models in Cigarette Advertisements
Mazis, M. B., Ringold, D. J., Perry, E. S., & Denman, D. W. (1992) · Journal of Marketing · doi:10.2307/1252130 · Cited by 80 · see citing works
An Adult Developmental Approach to Perceived Facial Attractiveness and Distinctiveness
Ebner, N. C., Luedicke, J., Voelkle, M. C., Riediger, M., Lin, T., & Lindenberger, U. (2018) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00561 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Age and Beauty are in the Eye of the Beholder
Kwart, D. G., Foulsham, T., & Kingstone, A. F. (2012) · Perception · doi:10.1068/p7136 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Ein Vorname sagt mehr als 1000 Worte
Rudolph, U., BOHM, R. M., & Lummer, M. (2007) · Zeitschrift für Sozialpsychologie · doi:10.1024/0044-3514.38.1.17 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Influence of skin ageing features on Chinese women's perception of facial age and attractiveness
Porcheron, A., Latreille, J., Jdid, R., Tschachler, E., & Morizot, F. (2014) · International Journal of Cosmetic Science · doi:10.1111/ics.12128 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Smile dimensions affect self-perceived smile attractiveness
Horn, S., Matuszewska, N., Gkantidis, N., Verna, C., & Kanavakis, G. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-82478-9 · Cited by 46 · see citing works
Dario Maestripieri, A., Klimczuk, A. C. E., Traficonte, D. M., & Wilson, M. C. (2014) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00179 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Children's Facial Trustworthiness Judgments: Agreement and Relationship with Facial Attractiveness
Ma, F., Xu, F., & Luo, X. (2016) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00499 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Visual Signs of Ageing: What are we Looking at?
Rexbye, H., & Povlsen, J. (2007) · International Journal of Ageing and Later Life · doi:10.3384/ijal.1652-8670.072161 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Perceiving the facial trustworthiness: Facial age, emotional expression, and attractiveness
Li, Y., Chen, Z., Liu, X., & Qi, Y. (2021) · Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology · doi:10.1177/17470218211047176 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
The Philadelphia Face Perception Battery
THOMAS, A., Lawler, K. A., Olson, I. R., & Aguirre, G. K. (2007) · Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology · doi:10.1016/j.acn.2007.10.003 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
What is beautiful is still good: the attractiveness halo effect in the era of beauty filters
Gulati, A., Martínez-Garcia, M., Fernández, D., Lozano, M. A., Lepri, B., & Oliver, N. (2024) · Royal Society Open Science · doi:10.1098/rsos.240882 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Be Happy Not Sad for Your Youth: The Effect of Emotional Expression on Age Perception
Hass, N. C., Weston, T. D., & Lim, S.-L. (2016) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0152093 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Cues of woman’s fertility predict prices for sex with prostitutes
Prokop, P., Dylewski, Ł., Woźna, J., & Tryjanowski, P. (2018) · Current Psychology · doi:10.1007/s12144-018-9807-9
STEREOTYPING IN PERCEPTION OF ATTRACTIVENESS, AGE, AND GENDER IN SCHEMATIC FACES
McKelvie, S. J. (1993) · Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal · doi:10.2224/sbp.1993.21.2.121 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
How do consumers perceive old brands? Measurement and consequences of brand oldness associations
Huaman‐Ramirez, R., Maaninou, N., Merunka, D. R., & Cova, V. (2020) · European Business Review · doi:10.1108/ebr-05-2020-0110 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Sexual harassment and coercion in German academia: A large-scale survey study
Hoebel, M., Durglishvili, A., Reinold, J., & Leising, D. (2022) · Sexual Offending Theory Research and Prevention · doi:10.5964/sotrap.9349 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
In the mind of the beholder: Narcissism relates to a distorted and enhanced self-image
Steiner, T. G., Levy, K. N., Brandenburg, J. C., & Adams, R. B. (2021) · Personality and Individual Differences · doi:10.1016/j.paid.2020.110608 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Hass, N. C., Schneider, E., & Lim, S.-L. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01276 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Older Women, Power, and the Body
Chrisler, J. C., Rossini, M., & Newton, J. R. (2014) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-09306-2_2 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
A REDUÇÃO DE ESTEREÓTIPOS E ATITUDES NEGATIVAS ENTRE GERAÇÕES
Villas‐Boas, S., Ramos, N., Amado, J., de Oliveira, A. L., & García, I. M. (2017) · LAPLAGE EM REVISTA · doi:10.24115/s2446-6220201733365p.206-220 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
The Origins and Functions of Appearance-Based Stereotypes: Theoretical and Applied Implications
Langlois, J. H. (1995) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-2466-2_2 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Chen, Z.-W., Li, Y.-N., Wang, K., Qi, Y., & Liu, X. (2022) · Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnagi.2022.815482 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Attitudes toward older adults: The perceived value of grandparent as a social role
Stricker, G., & Hillman, J. L. (1996) · Journal of Adult Development · doi:10.1007/bf02278773 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Guo, G., Humphreys, B. R., Wang, Q., & Zhou, Y. (2023) · Journal of Sports Economics · doi:10.1177/15270025231160769 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Influence of colored face masks on judgments of facial attractiveness and gaze patterns
Prahm, C., Konieczny, J., Bressler, M., Heinzel, J. C., Daigeler, A., Kolbenschlag, J., & Lauer, H. (2023) · Acta Psychologica · doi:10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103994 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Konishi, M., Tobitani, K., Katahira, K., Azuma, Y., Nagata, N., & Fujisawa, T. X. (2013) · Korea-Japan Joint Workshop on Frontiers of Computer Vision · doi:10.1109/fcv.2013.6485462 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Age-Related Bias in Age Estimation Based on Facial Images of Others
Fujisawa, T. X., Azuma, Y., Konishi, M., Miyamoto, N., & Nagata, N. (2016) · Psychology · doi:10.4236/psych.2016.74047 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The Relationship between Political Ideology and the Pursuit of Staying Forever Young
Oh, G. (2020) · Journal of Population Ageing · doi:10.1007/s12062-020-09302-6 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Sexual Harassment and Coercion in German Academia: A large-scale survey study - PreprintPreprint
Hoebel, M., Durglishvili, A., Reinold, J., & Leising, D. (2022) · doi:10.31219/osf.io/peyrc · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Stereotyping in perception of attractiveness, age, and gender in schematic faces
McKelvie, S. J. (1993) · Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal · doi:10.2224/sbp.1993.21.2.120 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Factors influencing teaching aging-related concepts in secondary schools
Mwonya, R. A. (1987) · doi:10.31274/rtd-180813-10646 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Female Consumers' Perceptions of Advertising
Hamlin, R. (2008) · SHAREOK (University of Oklahoma; Oklahoma State University; Central Oklahoma University)
Konishi, M., Azuma, Y., Nagata, N., & Shin, Y.-S. (2012) · IEEJ Transactions on Electronics Information and Systems · doi:10.1541/ieejeiss.133.61
Rexbye, H., & Povlsen, J. (2007)
A young versus an older messenger: Effective health communication during the COVID-19 pandemicPreprint
Schumacher, S., Kulle, A.-C., & von Bieberstein, F. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4194636
Movement and facial perceptionPreprint
Morrison, E. R., O’Donnell, Z., & Gregory, N. J. (2023) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3209351/v1
Gray hair influences perceived age and social perceptions
Nutt, K. M., Thorstenson, C. A., & Yorzinski, J. L. (2025) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1541836
- Authors
- Wernick, M., & Manaster, G. J.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Venue
- The Gerontologist
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press (OUP)
- Published
- 1984-08-01
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 408-414
- ISSN
- 0016-9013 (ISSN-L)
- 1758-5341
- OpenAlex
- W2026729433
- Cited by
- 50
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 2
- FWCI
- 0.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- The Gerontologist (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Aging and Gerontology Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Keywords
- age perception, attractiveness ratings, face perception, age differences, older adults, young adults, ego integrity, psychoanalytic theory, Adlerian theory
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Aging, Attitude, Body Image, Esthetics, Face, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Perception, Psychoanalytic Theory, Psychological Tests
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review