The Role of Regional Contrast Changes and Asymmetry in Facial Attractiveness Related to Cosmetic Use

When individuals are presented with emotional facial expressions they spontaneously react with brief, distinct facial movements that ‘mimic’ the presented faces. While the effects of facial mimicry on emotional perception and social bonding have been well documented, the role of facial attractiveness on the elicitation of facial mimicry is unknown. We hypothesized that facial mimicry would increase with more attractive faces. Facial movements were recorded with electromyography upon presentation of averaged and original stimuli while ratings of attractiveness and intensity were obtained. In line with existing findings, emotionally congruent responses were observed in relevant facial muscle regions. Unexpectedly, the strength of observers’ facial mimicry responses decreased with more averaged faces, despite being rated perceptually as more attractive. These findings suggest that facial attractiveness moderates the degree of facial mimicry muscle movements elicited in observers. The relationship between averageness, attractiveness and mimicry is discussed in light of this counterintuitive finding.

Download Full-text

The Role of Facial Attractiveness and Facial Masculinity/Femininity in Sex Classification of Faces

Perception ◽

10.1068/p5154 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 34 (12) ◽

pp. 1459-1474 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Rebecca A Hoss ◽

Jennifer L Ramsey ◽

Angela M Griffin ◽

Judith H Langlois

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Reaction Time Task ◽

Facial Attractiveness ◽

Developmental Differences ◽

Facial Cues ◽

Facial Masculinity ◽

Adults And Children ◽

Speed And Accuracy

We tested whether adults (experiment 1) and 4–5-year-old children (experiment 2) identify the sex of highly attractive faces faster and more accurately than not very attractive faces in a reaction-time task. We also assessed whether facial masculinity/femininity facilitated identification of sex. Results showed that attractiveness facilitated adults' sex classification of both female and male faces and children's sex classification of female, but not male, faces. Moreover, attractiveness affected the speed and accuracy of sex classification independently of masculinity/femininity. High masculinity in male faces, but not high femininity in female faces, also facilitated sex classification for both adults and children. These findings provide important new data on how the facial cues of attractiveness and masculinity/femininity contribute to the task of sex classification and provide evidence for developmental differences in how adults and children use these cues. Additionally, these findings provide support for Langlois and Roggman's (1990 Psychological Science1 115–121) averageness theory of attractiveness.

Download Full-text

Candidates’ attractiveness in selection decisions: a laboratory experiment

Baltic Journal of Management ◽

10.1108/bjm-01-2017-0003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 12 (4) ◽

pp. 390-407 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Matteo Cristofaro

Keyword(s):

Value Added ◽

Facial Attractiveness ◽

Content Type ◽

Body Attractiveness ◽

Moderated Mediation Model ◽

Selection Decisions ◽

Administrative Position ◽

Core Evaluations ◽

Personality Features

Purpose Recruiters in today’s organizations, through social networks, have the opportunity to see a candidate’s overall figure, and from this, they gain a first impression of their personalities which in turn affects their decisions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the biasing role of candidates’ attractiveness – in facial and bodily terms – on perceived main personality features (i.e. core evaluations (CEs)) in selection decisions. Design/methodology/approach An experimental study involving professional recruiters (n=150) was conducted. Participants were asked to rate bodily attractiveness (using the objectification construct), CEs, facial attractiveness and hiring scores of six candidates for an administrative position; then, a moderated mediation model was tested. Findings This study suggests that recruiters’ perception of candidates’ CEs mediates the relationship between objectification (i.e. body attractiveness) and the assigned hiring score, while facial attractiveness amplifies or reduces the effect of objectification on CEs. Originality/value The value added of this contribution lies in studying the biasing mechanism of candidates’ overall attractiveness (facial and bodily) and its effects on the perceived core personality features.

Download Full-text