Abstract
Facial attractiveness represents an important component of an individual’s overall attractiveness as a potential mating partner. Perceptions of facial attractiveness are expected to vary with age-related changes in health, reproductive value, and power. In this study, we investigated perceptions of facial attractiveness, power, and personality in two groups of women of pre- and post-menopausal ages (35–50 years and 51–65 years, respectively) and two corresponding groups of men. We tested three hypotheses: (1) that perceived facial attractiveness would be lower for older than for younger men and women; (2) that the age-related reduction in facial attractiveness would be greater for women than for men; and (3) that for men, there would be a larger increase in perceived power at older ages. Eighty facial stimuli were rated by 60 (30 male, 30 female) middle-aged women and men using online surveys. Our three main hypotheses were supported by the data. Consistent with sex differences in mating strategies, the greater age-related decline in female facial attractiveness was driven by male respondents, while the greater age-related increase in male perceived power was driven by female respondents. In addition, we found evidence that some personality ratings were correlated with perceived attractiveness and power ratings. The results of this study are consistent with evolutionary theory and with previous research showing that faces can provide important information about characteristics that men and women value in a potential mating partner such as their health, reproductive value, and power or possession of resources.
Highlights
Ratings of human facial attractiveness tend to be highly consistent across different cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds (e.g., Langlois et al, 2000; Little et al, 2011), suggesting that there is high agreement among individuals as to what constitutes a beautiful face
In this study, the respondents were generally accurate in estimating the stimuli’s ages from the photos of their faces and there was a strong negative association between age and perceived attractiveness for both male and female face stimuli, suggesting that any age-related decrease in skin quality or health occurring in the 35–65 year age period negatively impacts both male and female facial attractiveness
A negative association between age and facial attractiveness has been reported by previous studies (e.g., Korthase and Trenholme, 1982; Wernick and Manaster, 1984; Mathes et al, 1985; Henss, 1991; McLellan and McKelvie, 1993; Teuscher and Teuscher, 2007), the methodology used in these studies was quite heterogeneous and not directly comparable to that of the present study
Summary
Ratings of human facial attractiveness tend to be highly consistent across different cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds (e.g., Langlois et al, 2000; Little et al, 2011), suggesting that there is high agreement among individuals as to what constitutes a beautiful face. Since facial attractiveness represents an important component of an individual’s overall attractiveness as a potential mating partner, the study of facial attractiveness figures prominently in evolutionary research on mate attraction and mating strategies (e.g., Thornhill and Gangestad, 2008). Much of this research has focused on characteristics that influence judgments of facial attractiveness such as symmetry, averageness, femininity and masculinity, skin quality, and cues to personality or power (e.g., Thornhill and Gangestad, 1999; Rhodes, 2006; Little et al, 2011). Evolutionary studies have addressed potential sources of individual differences in face preferences such as hormone levels and fertility, own attractiveness and personality, and previous experience or familiarity. In recent reviews of the literature on evolutionary based research on facial attractiveness, the relationship between age and facial attractiveness is either not addressed at all or mentioned very briefly (e.g., Little et al, 2011)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
