DEPARTMENT OF ANTHROPOLOGY- HUMAN BEHAVIOR RESEARCH | face and body
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Human Facial Attractiveness and Sexual Selection: The Roles of Averageness and SymmetryGrammer, K. und Thornhill, R.in: (1994) Human Facial Attractiveness and Sexual Selection: The Roles of Averageness and Symmetry. Journal of Comparative Psychology. 108/3 pp 233-242.We hypothesized from the parasite theory of sexual selection that men (llomo sapiens) would prefer averageness and symmetry in women's faces, that women would prefer averageness and symmetry in men's faces, and that women would prefer largeness (not averageness) of the secondary sexual traits of men's faces. We generated computer images of men's and women's faces and of composites of the faces of each sex, and tnen had men and women rate opposite-sex faces for 4 variables (attractive, dominant, sexy, and healthy). |
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There is considerable evidence that parasite-resistant organisms win in competition for mates, both in intrasexual competition (usually males competing for females) and in being chosen by the opposite sex and that secondary sexual traits advertise parasite resistance. According to the parasite theory of sexual selection, mate choice decisions include medical examinations of potential mates, and parasiteresistant organisms are preferred because they produce genetically resistant offspring or provide better parental care to the offspring. Thus, the parasite theory proposes that beauty of bodily form is perceived as a cne to high parasite resistance by animals in choosing mates.Picture shows the measuring technique used in this article.
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UNIVERSITY OF VIENNA all rights reserved karl.grammer@univie.ac.at |