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Sex-typicality and attractiveness: are supermale and superfemale faces super-attractive
Abstract
Many animals find extreme versions of secondary sexual characteristics attractive, and such preferences can enhance reproductive success (Andersson, 1994). We hypothesized, therefore, that extreme versions of sex-typical traits may be attractive in human faces. We created supermale and superfemale faces by exaggerating all spatial differences between an average male and an average female face. In Expt 1 the male average was preferred to a supermale (50% exaggeration of differences from the female average). There was no clear preference for the female average or the superfemale (50% exaggeration). In Expt 2, participants chose the most attractive face from sets of images containing feminized as well as masculinized images for each sex, and spanning a wider range of exaggeration levels than in Expt 1. Chinese sets were also shown, to see whether similar preferences would occur for a less familiar race (participants were Caucasian). The most attractive female image was significantly feminized for faces of both races. However, the most attractive male image for both races was also significantly feminized. These results indicate that feminization, rather than sex exaggeration per se, is attractive in human faces, and they corroborate similar findings by Perrett et al. (1998).
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“There is some evidence from the face perception literature that an average face, one closer to the population mean, is consistently rated as being attractive (Rhodes et al., 2000; Valentine et al., 2004; Potter and Corneille, 2008).”
From The degree to which the cultural ideal is internalized predicts judgments of male and female physical attractiveness (2022) · cites this paper as Rhodes et al., 2000
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Items 201–228 of 228
Lefevre, C. E. (2013) · St Andrews Research Repository (St Andrews Research Repository)
Face evaluation : perceptual and neurophysiological responses to pro-social attributions
Dzhelyova, M. P. (2013) · St Andrews Research Repository (St Andrews Research Repository)
Pictures in our heads: Visual stereotypes affect social categorization
Dotsch, R. (2006) · Radboud Repository (Radboud University)
What is beautiful is sex-typed: a developmental examination
Hoss, R. A. (2003) · Texas ScholarWorks (Texas Digital Library)
Self-enhancement and Self-protection Motivation: From the Laboratory to an Evolutionary Context
Rhodes, G. (2004) · Journal of Cultural and Evolutionary Psychology · doi:10.1556/jcep.2.2004.1-2.5
Self-citationBronstad, P. M. (2004) · Texas ScholarWorks (Texas Digital Library)
SENSITIVITY TO PROPORTIONS IN FACES OF VARYING ANTHROPOMORPHISM
Green, R. D. (2009) · IUScholarWorks (Indiana University) · doi:10.7912/c2/873
Parker, J. (2014) · Open ULeth Scholarship (OPUS) (University of Lethbridge)
O’Connor, J. J. M., & O’Connor, J. J. M. (2013)
Allen, C. (2015) · Stirling Online Research Repository (University of Stirling)
Attractiveness, Proportions, and Ethnic Reflections of Allure
Sullivan, M., Banks, C. G., & Cheney, M. L. (2014) · CRC Press eBooks · doi:10.1201/b17991-4
Development and initial validation of the Gay Men's Physical Attractiveness Scale
Elmer, E. M. (2012) · Summit (Simon Fraser University)
Batres, J. C. (2016) · St Andrews Research Repository (St Andrews Research Repository)
Pereira, K. J. (2019) · Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (Universidade de São Paulo) · doi:10.11606/t.47.2019.tde-10092019-152911
Determining the link between facial appearance and immunity in an African population
Phalane, K. G. (2017) · UpSpace Institutional Repository (University of Pretoria)
González, S., & Carlos, J. (2021)
Facial Attributes Analysis and Applications
Liu, X. (2018) · doi:10.33915/etd.7205
Veale, D. M., & Neziroglu, F. (2010) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9780470684610.refs
Fletcher, G. J. O. (2002) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9780470773390.refs
Timming, A. R. (2019) · Edward Elgar Publishing eBooks · doi:10.4337/9781788977913.00012
Lidborg, L. H. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-08956-5_1418-1 · Cited by 1
"Pretty boys do not cry": The role of facial expressions in facial attractiveness rating
Barzut, V., & Blanuša, J. (2023) · Psiholoska istrazivanja · doi:10.5937/psistra26-41145
“These include sexual dimorphism (Perrett et al., 1998; Rhodes et al., 2000), symmetry (Perrett et al., 1999; Rhodes et al., 1998; Scheib et al., 1999) and averageness (Langlois & Roggman, 1990; Thornhill & Gangestad, 1993).”
BackgroundPsychological discussion on the diversity of perceived facial attractiveness
Ishi, H. (2009) · Journal of Japan Society of Kansei Engineering · doi:10.5057/kansei.8.2_253
A Theoretical Review of Facial Attractiveness
韩, 容. (2023) · Advances in Psychology · doi:10.12677/ap.2023.1310581
He, C. C., Ching, B. H., & Li, Y. H. (2024) · Psychology and Sexuality · doi:10.1080/19419899.2024.2421516
“Evidence has shown that feminine faces are perceived as more attractive, caring, and easier to get along with than masculine faces (Perrett et al., 1998; Rhodes et al., 2000; Walker & Wänke, 2017).”
La perception de la féminité et sa relation au maquillage
Loegel, A. (2019) · theses.fr (ABES) · doi:10.70675/7eddbbc9z2b54z4f61zbb4fz851c32f92716
The Development of Perceptions of Facial Attractiveness
Vingilis‐Jaremko, L. (2013) · MacSphere (McMaster University) · doi:10.71548/10074
Metadata
- Authors
- Rhodes, G., Hickford, C., & Jeffery, L.
- Affiliations
- The University of Western Australia (AU)
- University of Canterbury (NZ)
- Corresponding author
- Rhodes, Gillian
- Venue
- British Journal of Psychology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2000-02
- Volume
- 91
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 125-140
- ISSN
- 0007-1269 (ISSN-L)
- 2044-8295
- OpenAlex
- W2034454958
- Cited by
- 226
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 12 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 13 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 8.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- British Journal of Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UWA Profiles and Research Repository (UWA) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Australian Research Council
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Keywords
- facial attractiveness, feminization, masculinization, secondary sexual characteristics, face preference, human face
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Anthropometry, Esthetics, Face, Female, Humans, Male, Sexual Behavior, Sex Factors, Visual Perception
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