Populational differences in attractiveness judgements of male and female faces: comparing British and Jamaican samples

• Published in: Evolution and human behavior 2004-11, Vol.25 (6), p.355-370
• Main Authors: Penton-Voak, I S, Jacobson, A, Trivers, R
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attractiveness; Comparative analysis; Cross-cultural analysis; Crosscultural Analysis; Femininity; Interpersonal attraction; Interpersonal Relations; Jamaica; Japan; Judgement; Male-female relationships; Masculinity; Mate Selection; Physical appearance; Sexual behaviour; Stimuli; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 1090-5138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2004.06.002

In the UK & Japan, both men & women prefer somewhat feminised opposite-sex faces, especially when choosing a long-term partner. Such faces are perceived as more honest, caring, & sensitive; traits that may be associated with successful male parental investment. By contrast, women prefer less feminised faces for short-term relationships & when they are near ovulation. As genetic quality may be associated with facial masculinity, women may 'trade-off' cues between genetic quality & paternal investment in potential partners. No analogous trade-off has been suggested to influence men's preferences, as both attributions of prosociality & potential cues to biological quality are associated with facial femininity in female faces. Ecological & cultural factors may influence the balance of trade-offs leading to populational differences in preferences. We predicted that Jamaican women would prefer more masculine faces than British women do because parasite load is higher in Jamaica, medical care less common (historically & currently), & male parental investment less pronounced. Male preferences, however, were predicted to vary less cross-culturally, as no trade-off has been identified in female facial characteristics. We constructed masculinised & feminised digital male & female face stimuli of three populations (Jamaican, Japanese, & British) & presented them to men & women in Jamaica & in Britain. The results demonstrated that Jamaican women preferred more masculine male faces than their British counterparts did. Jamaican men tended to prefer more masculine female faces than did British men did, but this effect was complicated by an interaction suggesting that more feminised faces were preferred within culture. 2 Figures, 56 References. [Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.]