Facial Attractiveness Research Articles

Examining the Role of Physician Characteristics in Web-Based Verified Primary Care Physician Reviews: Observational Study.

Doctor review websites have become increasingly popular as a source of information for patients looking to select a primary care provider. Zocdoc is one such platform that allows patients to not only rate and review their experiences with doctors but also directly schedule appointments. This study examines how several physician characteristics including gender, age, race, languages spoken in a physician's office, education, and facial attractiveness impact the average numerical rating of primary care doctors on Zocdoc. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between physician characteristics and patient satisfaction ratings on Zocdoc. A data set of 1455 primary care doctor profiles across 30 cities was scraped from Zocdoc. The profiles contained information on the physician's gender, education, and languages spoken in their office. Age, facial attractiveness, and race were imputed from profile pictures using commercial facial analysis software. Each doctor profile listed an average overall satisfaction rating, bedside manner rating, and wait time rating from verified patients. Descriptive statistics, the Wilcoxon rank sum test, and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the data. The average overall rating on Zocdoc was highly positive, with older age, lower facial attractiveness, foreign degrees, allopathic degrees, and speaking more languages negatively associated with the average rating. However, the effect sizes of these factors were relatively small. For example, graduates of Latin American medical schools had a mean overall rating of 4.63 compared to a 4.77 rating for US graduates (P<.001), a difference roughly equivalent to a 2.8% decrease in appointments. On multivariate analysis, being Asian and having a doctor of osteopathic medicine degree were positively associated with higher overall ratings, while attending a South Asian medical school and speaking more European and Middle Eastern languages in the office were negatively associated with higher overall ratings. Overall, the findings suggest that age, facial attractiveness, education, and multilingualism do have some impact on web-based doctor reviews, but the numerical effect is small. Notably, bias may play out in many forms. For example, a physician's appearance or accent may impact a patient's trust, confidence, or satisfaction with their physician, which could in turn influence their take-up of preventative services and lead to either better or worse health outcomes. The study highlights the need for further research in how physician characteristics influence patient ratings of care.

A Comparison of Esthetic Preferences on Female Skeletal Class II Alterations among Laypeople of Different Facial Profiles.

This study aimed to investigate the influences of assessors' different personal profiles on the esthetic perception of Class II facial profile corrections and the agreement between profile and silhouette images. A profile photo of a female with skeletal Class II was digitally altered into three profile and three silhouette images (most pronounced Class II division 1 characteristic, more retruded upper lip position, and more protruded mandibular position). Ninety-six laypeople from three facial profile groups (straight, convex, and concave profiles) chose these images for facial attractiveness. Data were analyzed using an SPSS program. Cohen's kappa coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficients were applied to determine intraparticipant and intra-examiner reliabilities. Chi-square tests were used to test between-group preferences and the relationship of profile preference with other factors. Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to test the agreement in selecting profile and silhouette images (p = 0.05). All groups favored profiles with a protruded mandibular position (11-degree facial contour angle [FCA] and 91-degree nasolabial angle [NLA]). Despite facial profile differences, preference remained consistent (p = 0.649). The convex group showed a stronger inclination toward an untreated-simulating profile (17-degree FCA and 91-degree NLA). Preferences were consistent regardless of sex (p = 0.198) and education (p = 0.105). The percentage of agreement between profile and silhouette images in the total sample was 67.71% (kappa = 0.386). All groups of participants chose the more retruded upper lip position (17-degree FCA and 107-degree NLA) profile in silhouette more than in photograph. All groups preferred a mandibular advancement-simulating profile. Using the photographs or silhouettes to assess the esthetic preference resulted in a similar trend. However, the flatter profile was more preferred in silhouette than in photograph.

Age-dependent changes in skin features and perceived facial appearance in women of five ethnic groups.

Research documents effects of skin features on assessments of age, health and attractiveness of female faces. Ethnic variation also has been reported for the impact of age-related changes in skin features on face assessments. Here, we investigate women's self-ratings across age cohorts and ethnic groups and discrepancies with (non-expert) assessor ratings of facial appearance together with age-dependent changes in skin features. Faces of women 20-65 years from five ethnic groups (each n = 36) were imaged. Participants provided self-ratings of age, health and attractiveness, and were judged on these attributes by members of the same ethnic group (each n = 120). Digital image analysis was used to quantify skin gloss, tone evenness, wrinkling and sagging. Age-dependent changes in ratings and skin features within and between ethnic groups were assessed by comparing information from 10-year cohorts. We also tested whether menopausal status could be predicted by self-ratings, assessor ratings and image-based skin features. Women of all ethnic groups judged themselves younger and higher in attractiveness and health compared to third-party assessors, with the largest discrepancies for age in French women and for attractiveness and health in South African women. In Indian and South African women, specular gloss and skin tone evenness were lower compared to other participants, and sagging was higher in Indian, Japanese and South African women compared to Chinese and French women. Women's menopausal status could be predicted from assessor ratings and image-based skin features but not from self-ratings. There are differences between women's self-ratings and assessor ratings of facial appearance. These discrepancies vary with female age and ethnicity. Age and ethnicity effects also are evident in age-dependent changes in skin features within and across ethnic groups, which together with assessor (but not self-) ratings of facial appearance predict menopausal status.

Influence of male’s facial attractiveness, vocal attractiveness and social interest on female’s decisions of fairness

The present study employed dictator game and ultimatum game to investigate the effect of facial attractiveness, vocal attractiveness and social interest in expressing positive (“I like you”) versus negative signals (“I don’t like you”) on decision making. Female participants played against male recipients in dictator game and ultimatum game while played against male proposers in ultimatum game. Results showed that participants offered recipients with attractive faces more money than recipients with unattractive faces. Participants also offered recipients with attractive voices more money than recipients with unattractive voices, especially under the positive social interest condition. Moreover, participants allocated more money to recipients who expressed positive social interest than those who expressed negative social interest, whereas they would also expect proposers who expressed positive social interest to offer them more money than proposers who expressed negative social interest. Overall, the results inform beauty premium for faces and voices on opposite-sex economic bargaining. Social interest also affects decision outcomes. However, the beauty premium and effect of social interest varies with participants’ roles.

The Impact of CEO Facial Attractiveness on Company Decisions

The Impact of CEO Facial Attractiveness on Company Decisions

Visual Attention to Evolutionarily Relevant Information by Heterosexual Men and Women While Viewing Mock Online Dating Profiles

The way people create social connections and access information has been altered greatly by technology in recent decades. Online browsing of visual profiles has become a common means for seeking potential partners for both short- and long-term relationships. Little is known, however, about how people prioritize mate quality information while viewing online profiles. Using eye-tracking methods and self-report, this study investigated how people evaluated profile-based facial attractiveness and text-based financial resources information, represented by income and occupation. Heterosexual male and female participants, aged between 18 and 27 years, viewed opposite-sex profiles while their eye-movements were recorded using a remote eye-tracking camera. In line with current theory, resources information had little effect on men’s overall attention to women’s faces, whereas women’s overall attention to men’s faces varied depending on the level of income and occupation. Women evaluated men’s faces more when income and occupation were low, regardless of attractiveness. Unexpectedly, however, men marginally increased their attention toward unattractive women who showed a high-level of income and more esteemed occupation. Men self-reported a higher interest in women for a short-term relationship and women self-reported a higher interest in men for a long-term relationship. This work provides a foundation to further examine how people browse profile-based information and to investigate the mate selection process, with real-world implications for online dating app users, profile design, and content.

Impact of Dental Midline Shift on the Perception of Facial Attractiveness in Young Adults.

Background/Objectives: The aim of this study was to quantify the threshold of a dental midline shift that would compromise facial attractiveness and indicate a need for treatment from the points of view of laypeople and dental professionals. Methods: Whole-face natural photographs of a male and a female model were digitally manipulated to create various degrees of upper and lower dental midline shifts through bodily movement of the upper or lower midlines as well as alteration of the axial inclination of the upper teeth. The samples were then assessed by two groups of observers (laypeople (LP) and dental professionals (DP)). Results: The lower midline shift did not negatively affect the DP and LP's perceptions of smile attractiveness. The first significant loss of attractiveness was registered by the DP with an upper midline shift of 1 mm in the female model. However, the LP registered this at 2 mm. The DP registered the necessity of treatment at a threshold of 2 mm in the female model and 3 mm in the male model. LP identified the need for treatment at 3 mm for both males and females. The female model was judged more critically than her male counterpart by both female and male observers. Conclusions: DP assess the midline deviation more critically than LP. Both DP and LP were more sensitive to midline deviations in the female model regardless of their own gender. Both groups registered the need for treatment at a higher threshold than the reduction in smile attractiveness.

Behavioral and neural responses to social exclusion in women: the role of facial attractiveness and friendliness

The behavioral and neural responses to social exclusion were examined in women randomized to four conditions, varying in levels of attractiveness and friendliness. Informed by evolutionary theory, we predicted that being socially excluded by attractive unfriendly women would be more distressing than being excluded by unattractive women, irrespective of their friendliness level. Our results contradicted most of our predictions but provide important insights into women’s responses to interpersonal conflict. Accounting for rejection sensitivity, P300 event-related potential amplitudes were largest when women were excluded by unattractive unfriendly women. This may be due to an expectancy violation or an annoyance with being excluded by women low on social desirability. An examination of anger rumination rates by condition suggests the latter. Only attractive women’s attractiveness ratings were lowered in the unfriendly condition, indicating they were specifically punished for their exclusionary behavior. Women were more likely to select attractive women to compete against with one exception—they selected the Black attractive opponent less often than the White attractive opponent when presented as unfriendly. Finally, consistent with studies on retaliation in relation to social exclusion, women tended to rate competitors who rejected them as being more rude, more competitive, less attractive, less nice, and less happy than non-competitors. The ubiquity of social exclusion and its pointed emotional and physiological impact on women demands more research on this topic.

Looks and longevity: Do prettier people live longer?

Social scientists have given relatively scant attention to the association between attractiveness and longevity. But attractiveness may convey underlying health, and it systematically structures critical social stratification processes. We evaluated these issues using the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS, N = 8386), a survey of Wisconsin high school graduates from 1957 which provided large samples of women and men observed until their death (or through their early 80s). In doing so, we utilized a meticulously constructed measure of facial attractiveness based on the independent ratings of high-school yearbook photographs. We used linked death information from the National Death Index-plus through 2022 and Cox proportional hazard models as well as standard life-table techniques. We found that the least attractive rated sextile of the sample had significantly higher hazards of mortality (HR: 1.168, p < 0.01) compared to the middle rated four sextiles of attractiveness. This finding remained robust to the inclusion of covariates describing high-school achievement, intelligence, family background, earnings as adults, as well as mental and physical health in middle adulthood. We also found that different specifications of the attractiveness measure consistently indicated no significant differences in the mortality hazard between highly attractive and average-looking people. Using life-table techniques, we next illustrated that among women in the least attractive sextile, at age 20 their life expectancy was nearly 2 years less than others’; among men in the least attractive sextile, it was nearly 1 year less at age 20.

Influence of the Rater's Gender on Assessing Facial Beauty in Adult Patients With Vertical and Horizontal Growth Patterns.

Background The evaluation of attractiveness varies from one civilization, culture, and environment to another and between individuals. Gender can also play a role in determining the standards of attractiveness. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the rater's gender on the assessment of adult facial attractiveness with a vertical and horizontal growth pattern in patients with skeletal Class I malocclusion. Methodology The study sample comprised extraoral photos taken before the treatment of 120 patients (30 males and 30 females in each group) with skeletal Class I malocclusion and vertical and horizontal growth patterns according to the Bjork sum aged between 18 and 25 years. A panel of 30 laypersons (aged 19-25 years with an average age of 23 ± 0.53 years), including raters from both genders, were selected equally using a disproportionate stratified sampling method through a computer-generated list. The raters used the visual analog scale (VAS) to provide a score for each photograph's aesthetic quality. The most attractive group, which received the greatest aesthetic score, and the least attractive group, which received the lowest aesthetic score, were the two groups formed based on each photograph's mean aesthetic scores. Overall, 13 patients were chosen for each group. Subsequently, the average assessment score for every patient photo set was determined. Independent-sample t-tests were employed to ascertain if the raters' gender made a statistically significant difference in assessing patients with vertical and horizontal growth patterns. Results There were statistically significant differences between the gender of raters in evaluating female patients with vertical growth patterns (p < 0.001), where the average rating of the female raters was significantly greater than that of the male raters in evaluating female patients. In addition, there were statistically significant differences between the gender of raters in evaluating female patients with horizontal growth patterns (p = 0.009), where the average rating of the male raters was significantly greater than that of the female raters in evaluating female patients. Conclusions There is a limited effect of the rater's gender in evaluating facial aesthetics. However, the facial features of female patients with long faces are preferred by females more than males, and males are more critical in evaluating these patients. On the other hand, males favor the facial features of female patients with short faces more than females, and females are more critical in evaluating these patients. These results suggest considering patients' personal characteristics with vertical and horizontal growth patterns during diagnosis and treatment planning.

Facial Anthropometry and Aesthetic Preferences in Malay Women: A Comparative Study

The study aimed to explore the relationship between Malay females’ facial attractiveness with golden ratio, neoclassical canons, “ideal” ratios and “ideal” angles; and to compare self-perceived facial attractiveness and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among Malay females with different skeletal patterns. Sixty-four young Malay female participants each completed a set of self-administered questionnaires and have five facial photographs taken. The self-assessed satisfaction with facial appearance and HRQoL were compared between participants with different dentoskeletal patterns. Seventy-seven facial anthropometry parameters related to the golden ratio, neoclassical canons, ideal ratios and ideal angles were measured. Subsequently, 15 sets of photographs representing different skeletal patterns were randomly selected. A panel of juries evaluated facial attractiveness using a 7-point Likert scale. The correlation between facial attractiveness and measured parameters was studied. Results indicated that mean rank FACE-Q Rasch scores of participants’ self-rated satisfaction on their facial appearance and HRQoL were not significantly different statistically (p = 0.06–0.81) between Class I, II and III. One hundred and eighty juries (mean 24.33±3.82 years old) were recruited. No statistically significant correlations found between facial attractiveness rated by juries and measured parameters related to the golden ratio (r = –0.47 to 0.36; p = 0.08 to 0.98), neoclassical canons (r = –0.27 to 0.43; p = 0.11 to 0.96), ideal ratios (r = –0.32 to 0.47; p = 0.08 to 0.96) and ideal angles (r = –0.23 to 0.28; p = 0.31 to 0.92). In conclusion, the study found that the golden ratio, neoclassical canons, ideal ratios, and ideal angles were not found to be correlated with the facial attractiveness of Malay females. Therefore, these guidelines should be used with discretion during treatment planning and outcome assessment for this specific ethnic group.

The Ideal Chinese Lip: Impact of Lip Contours and Proportions.

The lips are one crucial determinant of facial attractiveness. Current studies investigating lip attractiveness were mostly conducted in Caucasians, and the results could not directly apply to Asians. Aside from lip proportions, lip contours play an important role in attractiveness but it is unclear how people perceive different lip contours. The aim of this study was to investigate the aesthetic perception of various lip shapes by Chinese to identify the most attractive lip morphology for women and men, respectively. 303 Chinese participants were invited to rate the attractiveness of identical lip images with different contours and proportions in a young female and a young male. Stratified analyses were performed to assess the effect of gender, age and occupation on the preference of lip shapes. The lips that were rated to be most attractive had a flat upper vermilion border, an M-shaped oral fissure and a U-shaped lower vermilion border in both genders. Most respondents considered an upper-to-lower vermilion proportion of 1:1 to be more attractive, regardless of the gender of the lip models, and the lip thickness-to-width proportions of 1:2 and 1:2.5 were perceived most attractive for female and male, respectively. This study adds to our understanding of how lip contours contribute to attractiveness and that Chinese have distinctive aesthetic preferences for lip morphology, which possibly stem from racial characteristics and cultural differences. With such knowledge, practitioners may better tailor the treatment strategy when performing lip rejuvenation procedures. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

The Impact of Chinese CEOs' Facial Aesthetics on Their Compensation

Much of the psychological and sociological literature has shown that beauty plays a role in the workplace. Does this apply to CEOs and affect their compensation? This study uses the term facial aesthetics to measure CEO beauty. Facial attractiveness and facial maturity are two important components of facial aesthetics. This paper summarizes three methods. The first method uses the ResNet50 deep convolutional neural network, using ImageNet data, which is applied to a variety of image processing tasks. The second method is Three-Dimensional Stereo-Photogrammetry using in major contemporary studies of facial soft-tissue attractiveness. The third approach is the Visual Analogue Scales, the validity of which is also well supported by empirical data, including in terms of test-retest and interrater reliability. The results show that both facial attractiveness and facial maturity have an impact on CEO compensation. Black CEOs with baby faces have higher pay and status than those with more mature faces. CEOs who are more physically attractive are paid more than their less attractive counterparts. However, there is little research on this aspect at present. Like facial maturity, only black CEOs and their pay have been studied, but for the rest of the population, the results are unknown. And, due to the cultural differences, each race also has aesthetic differences.

Nonverbal Behavior in Selection Interviews

Abstract: In selection interviews, applicant nonverbal cues elicit impressions that affect evaluations. However, little is known about which micro cues and macro impressions are impactful. The current study measured 21 micro and macro impressions and their influence on interview performance from thin slices of 70 videotaped structured mock interviews. Interview performance was positively associated with six macro impressions and with vocal attractiveness. Performance was negatively related to being anxious and facial attractiveness. Micro cues, overall physical appearance, and overall likability were not correlated with performance. Smiling and hand gestures were associated with macro impressions. Moreover, macro impressions combined into the Big Two dimensions of interpersonal perception, Communion and Agency, which both predicted interview performance.

Scoring facial attractiveness with deep convolutional neural networks: How training on standardized images reduces the bias of facial expressions.

In many medical disciplines, facial attractiveness is part of the diagnosis, yet its scoring might be confounded by facial expressions. The intent was to apply deep convolutional neural networks (CNN) to identify how facial expressions affect facial attractiveness and to explore whether a dedicated training of the CNN is able to reduce the bias of facial expressions. Frontal facial images (n = 840) of 40 female participants (mean age 24.5 years) were taken adapting a neutral facial expression and the six universal facial expressions. Facial attractiveness was computed by means of a face detector, deep convolutional neural networks, standard support vector regression for facial beauty, visual regularized collaborative filtering and a regression technique for handling visual queries without rating history. CNN was first trained on random facial photographs from a dating website and then further trained on the Chicago Face Database (CFD) to increase its suitability to medical conditions. Both algorithms scored every image for attractiveness. Facial expressions affect facial attractiveness scores significantly. Scores from CNN additionally trained on CFD had less variability between the expressions (range 54.3-60.9 compared to range: 32.6-49.5) and less variance within the scores (P ≤ .05), but also caused a shift in the ranking of the expressions' facial attractiveness. Facial expressions confound attractiveness scores. Training on norming images generated scores less susceptible to distortion, but more difficult to interpret. Scoring facial attractiveness based on CNN seems promising, but AI solutions must be developed on CNN trained to recognize facial expressions as distractors.

Comparison of the Impact of Chin Augmentation Treatments by Genioplasty versus Hyaluronic Acid Filler Injection on Facial Attractiveness of Patients with Mild to Moderate Microgenia

Comparison of the Impact of Chin Augmentation Treatments by Genioplasty versus Hyaluronic Acid Filler Injection on Facial Attractiveness of Patients with Mild to Moderate Microgenia

The impact of the Seller's facial image on consumer purchase behavior in peer-to-peer accommodation platforms

Consumers' initial impressions of a seller's facial appearance play a crucial role in influencing purchase behavior. However, the underlying mechanisms by which a seller's facial appearance influences consumer purchase behavior remain unexplored. This study adopted a multimethod approach to explore these questions. First, drawing on the profile pictures of 1240 sellers from the Airbnb peer-to-peer accommodation platform, we investigated the impact of two principal facial attributes (facial attractiveness and facial expressions) on the formation of consumers' initial impressions and their subsequent influence on purchase decisions. Second, we explored the underlying mechanisms through two online experiments. Our findings indicate a U-shaped relationship between sellers' facial attractiveness and consumer purchase behavior. Additionally, we found that facial expressions such as happy, surprise, and sad, influence consumer purchase behavior positively in comparison to neutral expressions. Furthermore, our study demonstrates that the purchase price acts as a moderator of the U-shaped effect of facial attractiveness on consumer purchase behavior, while text sentiment intensity serves as a negative moderator of the impact of facial expressions of consumer purchase behavior. Finally, the study elucidates the influence mechanism of facial attractiveness and facial expressions on consumers' purchasing decisions. These insights provide novel perspectives on the role of sellers' facial attributes and offer valuable references for devising effective marketing strategies and optimizing platform operational services related to the design of seller facial imagery.

The psychometrics of rating facial attractiveness using different response scales.

Perceiving facial attractiveness is an important behaviour across psychological science due to these judgments having real-world consequences. However, there is little consensus on the measurement of this behaviour, and practices differ widely. Research typically asks participants to provide ratings of attractiveness across a multitude of different response scales, with little consideration of the psychometric properties of these scales. Here, we make psychometric comparisons across nine different response scales. Specifically, we analysed the psychometric properties of a binary response, a 0-100 scale, a visual analogue scale, and a set of Likert scales (1-3, 1-5, 1-7, 1-8, 1-9, 1-10) as tools to measure attractiveness, calculating a range of commonly used statistics for each. While certain properties suggested researchers might choose to favour the 1-5, 1-7 and 1-8 scales, we generally found little evidence of an advantage for one scale over any other. Taken together, our investigation provides consideration of currently used techniques for measuring facial attractiveness and makes recommendations for researchers in this field.

Truth Lies in the Depths: Novel Insights into Facial Aesthetic Measurements from a U.S. Survey Panel.

Aesthetic facial bone surgery and facial implantology expand the boundaries of conventional facial surgery that focus on facial soft tissue. This study aimed to reveal novel aesthetic facial measurements to provide tailored treatment concepts and advance patient care. A total of n=101 study participants (46 females and 55 males) were presented with 120 patient portraits (frontal images in natural head posture; 60 females and 60 males) and asked to assess the facial attractiveness (scale 0-10; "How attractive do you find the person in the image?") and the model capability score (MCS; scale 0-10; "How likely do you think the person in the image could pursue a modelling career?"). For each frontal photograph, defined facial measurements and ratios were taken to analyse their relationship with the perception of facial attractiveness and MCS. The overall attractiveness rating was 4.3 ± 1.1, while the mean MCS was 3.4 ± 1.1. In young males, there was a significant correlation between attractiveness and the zygoma-mandible angle (ZMA)2 (r= - 0.553; p= 0.011). In young and middle-aged females, MCS was significantly correlated with facial width (FW)1-FW2 ratio (r= 0.475; p= 0.034). For all male individuals, a ZMA1 value of 171.79 degrees (Y= 0.313; p= 0.024) was the most robust cut-off to determine facial attractiveness. The majority of human evaluators (n=62; 51.7%) considered facial implants a potential treatment to improve the patient's facial attractiveness. This study introduced novel metrics of facial attractiveness, focusing on the facial skeleton. Our findings emphasized the significance of zygomatic measurements and mandibular projections for facial aesthetics, with FI representing a promising surgical approach to optimize facial aesthetics. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Multisensory contributions to skin-cosmetic product interactions.

The human face is one of the most salient regions of the body surface. Ratings of facial attractiveness, as well as judgements of a person's age, are influenced by the appearance of facial skin (not to mention the presence/absence of wrinkles). Unsurprisingly, many consumers spend huge amounts of money on trying to protect, maintain, and/or enhance their facial appearance. As highlighted by the evidence presented in this narrative review, both the skin and the cosmetic products that many consumers use are fundamentally multisensory in nature. The complex interaction between the particular skin site stimulated and the multisensory attributes of the product (e.g., when it is applied) can exert a number of effects on an individual's mood, their emotions, as well as on their self-perception (and self-confidence), over-and-above any functional effects that the cream or lotion may have on the skin itself. In this narrative historical review, the literature on the multisensory perception of facial skin is summarized and critically evaluated. Multisensory interactions taking place between the cosmetic product, its packaging, as well as its use/application at the sensory, cognitive, and emotional levels are all discussed.