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''Human attractiveness factors and effects

Facial preferences

Symmetry

When determining attractiveness in a potential mate, humans have a tendency to focus on faces. Facial attractiveness is determined by two main factors: facial symmetry and perceived health. A symmetrical face and a clear complexion have been shown to produce a positive correlation with health ratings. Humans are likely to perceive symmetrical faces as attractive due to the fact that various illnesses and birth defects can cause asymmetry, as well as producing faces that deviate further from the standard species norm. People with faces higher in symmetry tend to be rated higher on attractiveness scales and engage in more sexual behavior with more sexual partners. In addition, they are seen as more viable mating partners who will produce offspring that are more fit and viable. For males, facial masculinity as another important factor in attractiveness ratings due to its correlations with positive development and immunity.

Non-Western ideals

Although these ideas are believed to be biologically based, there was some concern regarding their validity because the majority of the studies were conducted in Western cultures. To remedy this, studies on facial symmetry preferences were conducted in China and Japan to determine whether the preferences were universal. Faces were manipulated using digital software to be more or less symmetrical, and created "perfect" faces by mirroring one side of the face to make perfect symmetry. Japanese participants rated the perfectly symmetrical faces as higher in attractiveness. This shows that there is likely a biological basis for these preferences, as they do exist outside of the Western hemisphere.

Social context

Alcohol consumption

Social context can affect how attractive a person seems to another. For example, alcohol consumption has been shown to correlate with risky sexual behavior, leading researchers to test whether alcohol had an effect on attractiveness. Participants in the experiment were shown photos of the same person before drinking, after moderate alcohol consumption, and after high alcohol consumption. The participants rated people who had consumed a moderate amount of alcohol (equivalent to around 250 ml of wine) as the most attractive. However, there was no similar effect for people who had consumed higher amounts of alcohol. This suggests that mildly intoxicated people appear more attractive to the viewer than those who are sober or drunk.

Grouping

In addition, the people with whom a person appears may affect ratings of attractiveness and economic status. A study presented participants with photos of a man alone, a woman alone, and the man and woman in either same-sex or mixed groups. Men and women presented alone had similar scores on attractiveness and economic status, while men in groups had the highest status ratings. Women presented alone had the highest status ratings in the female condition. The study found that when women were presented alongside men, the ratings of their status were based on the status of the men-- they were constrained by the perceptions of the man they were with. This shows that the context of others affects perceptions of individual people.

Effects of attractiveness

Perceptions of attractiveness have more effects than sexual selection alone. Attractiveness is often correlated with positive personality, health, and intelligence ratings by others.

Personality

CANOE factor scale

A study aimed to measure the effects of attractiveness on ratings based on the Big Five personality traits model of personality. Participants rated digitally manipulated faces that were in varying states of symmetry on 5 personality factor scales: conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, and extraversion. They found that asymmetrical faces were given lower scores on conscientiousness and extraversion scales, but received higher scores on the neuroticism scales. This indicates a correlation between facial asymmetry and negative personality traits.

Health and anxiety ratings

In addition, facial symmetry is perceived as a good indicator of physical and mental health. One study aimed to test their predictions that more symmetrical faces would be rated as higher in attractiveness and positive personality traits than less symmetrical faces. In addition, they tested the hypothesis that people with symmetrical faces would be perceived as healthier. The researchers showed university students 20 various female faces with different levels of symmetry. Faces with high symmetry were rated healthier and more attractive, and the people were described as more self-confident, social, and other positive personality attributes. Less symmetrical faces had higher ratings of anxiety, showing that facial symmetry has a positive correlation with attractiveness, health, and personality ratings.

Intelligence

Viewers' impressions of other desirable traits such as intelligence can affect impressions of attractiveness. This effect tends to be seen more prominently in people with high intelligence, and it is this highly intelligent population that feeds most into the intelligence-attractiveness Halo effect. One study showed participants 48 photos of children and asked them to rate each child on attractiveness and intelligence scales. At the end of the rating task, the participants took an intelligence test. Participants who scored higher on the intelligence test showed a stronger correlation between attractiveness and intelligence ratings than those who scored lower. This raises concerns that more attractive students may have higher expectations and more pressure to achieve while the opposite effect would be problematic for less attractive students.