395 research outputs found
Eating fruit and vegetables gives your skin a golden glow
No full textDespite worldwide campaigns to increase fruit and vegetable consumption, intake is commonly inadequate, precipitating an estimated 2.6 million premature deaths per year worldwide. A British Academy Wolfson Research Professorship awarded to David Perrett has provided support to explore a new basis of motivating dietary change, essentially by appealing to vanity. With that support we found that eating carotenoid-rich fruit and vegetables leads to an attractive looking skin colour, and that showing people these appearance benefits can encourage dietary improvement.https://www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/documents/668/BAR21-02-Perrett.pd
A randomized controlled trial of an appearance-based dietary intervention
No full textObjective: Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption precipitates preventable morbidity and mortality. The efficacy of an appearance-based dietary intervention was investigated, which illustrates the beneficial effect that fruit and vegetable consumption has on skin appearance. Methods: Participants were randomly allocated to three groups receiving information-only or a generic or own-face appearance-based intervention. Diet was recorded at baseline and 10 weekly follow-ups. Participants in the generic and own-face intervention groups witnessed on-screen stimuli and received printed photographic materials to illustrate the beneficial effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin color. Results: Controlling for baseline diet, a significant effect of intervention group was found on self-reported fruit and vegetable intake among 46 completers who were free of medical and personal reasons preventing diet change. The own-face appearance-based intervention group reported a significant, sustained improvement in fruit and vegetable consumption whereas the information-only and generic appearance-based intervention groups reported no significant dietary changes. Conclusions: Seeing the potential benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption on own skin color may motivate dietary improvement.Peer reviewe
Two-dimensional computer-generated average human face morphology and facial approximation
No full textCarl N. Stephan, Ian S. Penton-Voak, David I. Perrett, Bernard P. Tiddeman, John G. Clement, and Maceij Henneber
Linking 3D face shape to social perception
No full textAdvances in computer graphic and statistical methods have made it possible to visualise global face shape correlates of social judgments. The current thesis used a data-driven approach to investigate face shape correlates and perception of two traits, masculinity and strength, both of which are important in mate choice and social perception more generally. The studies presented defined the influences of body physique (height, body mass index, body fat and muscle mass) on facial shape, and their effects on the perception of masculinity, attractiveness and strength. Study 1 investigated the face shape correlates of actual and perceived masculinity. I found that perceived masculinity is not only driven by sexually dimorphic shape, but also by cues to body height and weight. Men with taller and heavier bodies were perceived to have more masculine-looking faces.
Study 2 investigated women’s perception of male attractiveness as a function of masculine face shape. As previously assumed but not explicitly tested, I found that masculinity preferences followed a quadratic relationship: attractiveness increased with increasing masculinity levels, but dropped o. at higher levels of masculinity. In addition, I showed that the relative costs and benefits of high and low masculinity are affected by individual differences in own condition, perceived financial harshness and pathogen disgust.
In Study 3, I found that perception of strength from faces is driven by facial cues to body physique; individuals with higher body bulk were perceived to be stronger. In men, it proved possible to further dissociate facial cues to muscle and fat mass which both contributed to strength perception. The thesis demonstrates that facial cues used in the evaluation of masculinity and strength are linked to bodily characteristics associated with sex differences and actual strength, namely height, weight, muscularity and adiposity. My findings therefore support the hypothesis that perceptions have an adaptive origin
The human germ cell lineage: pluripotency, tumourigenesis and proliferation
No full textEThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo
The effects of female status on sex differentiated mate preferences
No full textMate preferences provide an opportunity to explore the validity of evolutionary
and social role origin theories of sex differences in human behaviour. In
evolutionary models, preferences are sex-specific adaptive responses to
constraints to reproductive success. In social role models, sex differences arise
from the allocation of men and women to different gender roles. I explored the
effects of the status of women on preferences to assess the validity of the origin
theories. I developed an adequate measure of female status (i.e. resource
control), and explored its effects on female preferences in an online survey
(Chapter 3), a mail-shot survey (Chapter 4), and a sample of non-industrial
societies (Chapter 5). Results implicated a role of constraints on women in the
expression of female-typical preferences. In an experimental manipulation of
female perceptions of their status, results enabled greater confidence in the
attribution of causal direction to relationships (Chapter 6). In Chapter 7, I
explored the conditions under which the relationships of interest occurred. In
Chapter 8, to further explore the origin models I investigated the effects of
resource control on the magnitudes of sex differences in preferences. In Chapter
9, I explored relationships between a characteristic more closely related to the
male gender role (i.e. apparent intelligence) and femininity in female faces.
Women who were considered to look more intelligent were perceived as less
feminine. In Chapter 10, I investigated the effects of reproductive strategy on
mate preferences. Results were consistent with evolutionary models of
behaviour. I argue that “status” is a multidimensional construct, and that its
effects on mate preferences are complex, that while results were generally more
consistent with an evolutionary than the biosocial model, integration of models
would provide greater insight into human mate preferences
Face evaluation : perceptual and neurophysiological responses to pro-social attributions
No full textThe pro-sociality of humans is manifested by the existence of cooperation in levels not common with any other species. Previous studies suggest that snap judgements of individuals are enough to determine if someone is a potential partner for cooperation. In addition to the often studied facial characteristics affecting cooperativeness and trustworthiness attribution (kin resemblance; attractiveness and emotional expression), the experimental work reported here examined the influence of head posture; gaze direction and skin colour on the attribution of trustworthiness and cooperation. A slightly tilted head (less than 3° downward) increased the perception of cooperativeness, especially for male and hostile looking faces. The importance of head tilt increased with decreased self-assessed dominance. Furthermore, even though some evidence that the effect of head posture is independent of gaze direction was found, gaze direction was also a strong indicator of cooperative intentions. Direct gaze and gaze slightly looking down (3°) were perceived as more cooperative than deviations of gaze outside this range (3° up or 6°- 9° down). Skin colour, a putative cue to current health status, was also found to impact on trustworthiness perception with a healthy skin colour increasing trustworthiness ratings. Additionally, as cooperative and trust decisions are vital for survival and social interactions, decisions based on facial appearance are made quickly and automatically as demonstrated by a trustworthiness modulation on an early face related component with 170 ms of exposure. Collectively, these findings suggest that facial characteristics employed to infer trust and cooperativeness help the observer to assess the motives and intentions of the individuals and assist the choice of partners that will lead to increased benefits and reduced costs in collaborative actions. Such considerations fit well with the evolutionary theory of cooperation as reciprocated social exchange
The effects of pubertal timing and dominance on the mating strategy, appearance and behaviour of men
No full textPubertal timing is a human life history variable representing a trade-off between early reproduction and continued growth. Dominance is an important feature to male mate value. These two variables should have far-reaching effects on adult male life. Chapter 1 reviews evolution, r/K selection and life history theory to derive hypotheses concerning variation in male mating strategy. Chapters 2-4 investigate the effects of pubertal timing and dominance on mating strategy using sociosexual orientation and preferences for faces and mate characteristics. Both early puberty and high dominance associate with unrestricted sociosexuality (increased interest in casual sex) as predicted. Dominance is shown to relate to preferences for cues of sociosexuality but not femininity, while pubertal timing relates to neither facial characteristic. Earlier and later developing men do not differ in their mate characteristic preferences, while dominant men exhibit enhanced female-typical mate preferences counter to predictions. A dominance-dependent, dual, male mating strategy is proposed to account for results. Chapter 5 introduces sensitivity to putative human pheromones as an indicator of mating strategy. Dominant men are found to be more sensitive to and more averse to a putative female pheromone. Pubertal timing has no effect on sensitivity. Results are interpreted in terms of dominant male avoidance of infertile matings.
Chapter 6 finds that early puberty associates with facial masculinity, attractiveness and apparent age. Chapter 7 offers a hormonal underpinning of effects related to pubertal timing, showing that early development associates with higher levels of testosterone in men. Chapter 8 uses digit length ratios to show that early developing men may have been exposed to greater levels of uterine testosterone, suggesting prenatal influences on male pubertal timing. Chapter 9 shows dominance associates with bodily, vocal and general attractiveness but not facial attractiveness. Chapter 10 reports that dominance associates with high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, suggesting costs of high dominance. Chapter 11 shows early pubertal timing relates to the visual appearance of skin, perhaps because of lower sebum production among early developing men, leading to them having darker, less reflective skin. This may reflect accelerated ageing of early developing males, potentially representing a cost to longevity
Judging a Man by the Width of his Face: The Role of Facial Ratios and Dominance in Mate Choice at Speed-Dating Events
No full textPrevious research has shown that men with higher facial width-to-height ratios (fWHRs) have higher testosterone and are more aggressive, more powerful, and more financially successful. We tested whether they are also more attractive to women in the ecologically valid mating context of speed dating. Men's fWHR was positively associated with their perceived dominance, likelihood of being chosen for a second date, and attractiveness to women for short-term, but not long-term, relationships. Perceived dominance (by itself and through physical attractiveness) mediated the relationship between fWHR and attractiveness to women for short-term relationships. Furthermore, men's perceptions of their own dominance showed patterns of association with mating desirability similar to those of fWHR. These results support the idea that fWHR is a physical marker of dominance. This is the first study to show that male dominance and higher fWHRs are attractive to women for short-term relationships in a controlled and interactive situation that could actually lead to mating and dating.</p
Telling facial metrics:facial width is associated with testosterone levels in men
No full textHigh facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) has been associated with a cluster of behavioural traits in men, including aggression and status-striving. This association between face structure and behaviour may be caused by testosterone. Here we investigated the relationship of both baseline and reactive testosterone levels to fWHR. In addition, we investigated the link between testosterone and three well-characterised sexually dimorphic facial metrics. Testosterone was measured in one sample of males (n = 185) before and after a speed-dating event. An additional sample provided only baseline testosterone measures (n = 92). fWHR was positively associated with testosterone reactions to potential mate exposure and marginally associated with baseline testosterone in Sample 1. We found a positive association with baseline testosterone and fWHR in Sample 2. In addition, face-width-to-lower-height ratio was positively associated with testosterone in both samples, suggesting that, in particular, facial width (scaled by two measures of facial height) is associated with testosterone. Importantly, our results also indicate that there is no association between adult testosterone and the sexual dimorphism of face shape. Thus, while our findings question the status of sexual dimorphism as a proxy measure of testosterone, they do provide evidence that testosterone is linked to fWHR and might underlie the relationship between fWHR and behaviour
- …
