The Autumn Years: Age Differences in Preferences for Sexually Dimorphic Faces

Life history theory proposes that it is adaptive for older people to shift investment away from reproductive effort (such as mating) to survivorship. However, it remains unclear whether the shift is also present at the psychological level. We investigated this question by comparing preferences for m...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Archives of sexual behavior 2022-08, Vol.51 (6), p.2813-2821
Main Authors: Han, Chengyang, Li, Xiangqian, Chen, Xiyue, Lei, Xue, Liao, Chuanjing, Zhang, Lingshan, Li, Bingxin, Peng, Xian, Morrison, Edward R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age groups
Aged
Behavioral Science and Psychology
Choice Behavior
Face
Female
Femininity
Humans
Male
Masculinity
Older people
Original Paper
Psychology
Public Health
Sex Characteristics
Sexual Behavior
Social Sciences
Young Adult
Young adults
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Summary:Life history theory proposes that it is adaptive for older people to shift investment away from reproductive effort (such as mating) to survivorship. However, it remains unclear whether the shift is also present at the psychological level. We investigated this question by comparing preferences for mate choice-relevant cues, sexually dimorphic facial images, between older (60 years and older, n  = 92) and younger adults (18–40 years, n  = 86). Results showed that older adults had significantly smaller preferences for sexually dimorphic faces of both sexes than young adults. Specifically, both older men and women showed no significant preferences for sexually dimorphic traits when judging opposite-sex faces, and smaller preferences for masculine male faces and feminine female faces when judging same-sex faces. Young adults generally showed strong preferences for masculine male faces and feminine female faces. In Study 2, we confirmed that the absent/reduced preferences in older adults for sexually dimorphic faces did not result from poor visual ability. The smaller preferences for sexually dimorphic facial cues in older adults compared to young adults suggest that older adults may shift away from mating-oriented psychology as they become less fertile.
ISSN:0004-0002
1573-2800
DOI:10.1007/s10508-021-02168-5