Perceptions Of Attractiveness Research Articles

An Attractive Target: Do Perceptions of Physical Attractiveness Shape Victimization Risks in Women’s Prisons?

ABSTRACT Emerging research suggests that physical attractiveness may yield outcomes beyond preferential treatment, such as increasing the vulnerability to victimization during adolescence. Despite growing awareness of individual and institutional victimization risk factors during incarceration, research has yet to consider the role of physical attractiveness. Drawing on survey data collected from 223 women across two Pennsylvania prisons, this article investigates whether perceptions of physical attractiveness operate as protective or risk factors for victimization experienced while incarcerated. Logistic regression results show a significant positive association between interviewer-assessed perceptions of physical attractiveness and incarcerated women’s self-reported resident-on-resident victimization. Dominance analysis results indicate that perceptions of physical attractiveness ranked nearly as high as histories of abuse in predicting incarcerated women’s risk of victimization. This study uncovers an unintended consequence of physical attractiveness for imprisoned women, demonstrating their heightened susceptibility to in-prison victimization.

Unveiling organizational appeal in Lithuania: A study on employee perceptions of organizational attractiveness as an employer

In recent times of uncertainty, new post-COVID-19 reality, and fierce competition for talented employees, organizational attractiveness as an appealing employer has emerged as one of the paramount facets, deeply integrated into strategic processes within organizations. However, there are many considerable challenges in understanding employee perceptions and meeting their expectations to become an employer of choice. The aim of the study is to examine Lithuanian employees’ attitudes toward different organizational attractiveness attributes, offering empirical insights for organizations to enhance their organizational attractiveness. To explore the manifestation of organizational attractiveness in Lithuanian organizations, 464 employed residents were surveyed using convenience sampling. Their attitudes were measured through the dimensions of social value, benefit value, development value, engagement value, economic value, management/leadership value, and work-life balance value. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the questionnaire data. The results indicated that employees emphasized social (M = 7.44), management/leadership (M = 7.05), engagement (M = 6.80), and work/life balance values (M = 6.79), while benefits (M = 6.60), development (M = 6.54), and economic (M = 6.20) values received comparatively lower evaluations. Practical recommendations include promoting social responsibility, providing work opportunities, investing in employee’s development, fostering autonomy, improving leadership skills, and implementing systems for work-life balance and economic incentives. Upholding promises to employees is crucial for organizational credibility. By implementing these recommendations, organizations can enhance their attractiveness to both current and prospective employees. This study underscores the need for further research on sector-specific organizational attractiveness.

Are serious games an alternative to traditional personality questionnaires? Initial analysis of a gamified assessment.

Personality questionnaires stand as crucial instruments in personnel selection but their limitations turn the interest towards alternatives like game-related assessments (GRAs). GRAs developed for goals other than fun are called serious games. Within them, gamified assessments are serious games that share similarities with traditional assessments (questionnaires, situational judgment tests, etc.) but they incorporate game elements like story, music, and game dynamics. This paper aims to contribute to the research on serious games as an alternative to traditional personality questionnaires by analyzing the characteristics of a gamified assessment called VASSIP. This gamified assessment, based on an existing measure of the Big Five personality traits, incorporates game elements such as storyfication, immersion, and non-evaluable gamified dynamics. The study performed included 98 university students (77.6% with job experience) as participants. They completed the original personality measure (BFI-2-S), the gamified evaluation of personality (VASSIP), a self-report measure of the main dimensions of job performance (task performance, contextual performance, and counterproductive work behaviors), and measures of applicant reactions to BFI-2-S and VASSIP. Results showed that the gamified assessment behaved similarly to the original personality measure in terms of reliability and participants' scores, although the scores in Conscientiousness were substantially higher in VASSIP. Focusing on self-reports of the three dimensions of job performance, regression models showed that the gamified assessment could explain all of them. Regarding applicant reactions, the gamified assessment obtained higher scores in perceptions of comfort, predictive validity, and attractiveness, although the effect size was small except for the latter. Finally, all applicant reactions except for attractiveness were related to age and personality traits. In conclusion, gamified assessments have the potential to be an alternative to traditional personality questionnaires but VASSIP needs more research before its application in actual selection processes.

Revealing the synergy between formal aesthetics and product semantics: Exploring the impact of visual form on product perception

This study investigates the relationships between visual form attributes (height, shape, and curvature) and product perception, particularly exploring the dynamic interplay between formal aesthetics and product semantics. The challenge of effectively incorporating formal aesthetic characteristics into the design process is addressed by adopting Gestalt theory as a guiding framework. Drawing on the Gestalt principle of Prägnanz, this research investigates the role of primary visual attributes of form on perceived Complexity, Symmetry, Harmony, and Regularity of kettle images. A central aspect of this investigation is the recognition of a product's form, which possesses the potential to influence the symbolism associated with the product's personality traits attributed by users. To this end, the study aims to acquire deeper insights into the perception of familiarity, prototypicality, beauty, and attractiveness to comprehensively analyze the overall product perception while unravelling the underlying significance of emotional responses through the product's personality. The goal of this study is to deconstruct the form attributes exhibited by eight kettles of various designs. By doing so, we seek to understand how these form attributes synergistically contribute to creating a unified perceptual whole to convey a specific character or identity. The findings offer insights into the influence of form on a product's aesthetic perception and perceived personality and how form contributes to a product's symbolic meaning. By grasping the intricacies of product perception, designers can create products that cater to the diverse needs of different user groups, ultimately leading to increased market acceptance and commercial success.

HOW DOES WEARING A FACE MASK AFFECT PERSONS TRUSTWORTHINESS AND ATTRACTIVENES

Face masks became a necessary part of everyday life during the Covid-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, most people associated face masks with health care facilities and immunocompromised people. This effect leads to a lower evaluation of the attractiveness of the wearer's face. People's attractiveness correlates with trustworthiness and willingness to communicate. This study examined how the Covid-19 pandemic affected people's perceptions of attractiveness and trustworthiness when looking at faces with face masks. To investigate this question, research participants were presented with a series of photographs of men and women who were divided into three attractivity groups, wearing a black face mask, a white face mask, a blue surgical face mask, and faces without masks. A total of 209 respondents participated in the survey, 80.9% were female and 19.1% were male. Of these, 42.1% of respondents said they were in a relationship and 57.9% said they were not. As many as 80.9% of the respondents were aged between 18-25 years, 10% of the respondents were aged between 26-30 years and 9.1% of the respondents were aged above 30 years. The average age of respondents was 23.6 years. The results showed that the least attractive and trustworthy were the faces without face masks. Faces covered with a black face mask were perceived to be the most attractive and trustworthy. A statistically significant difference was found between men's and women's ratings of trustworthiness and attractiveness in favour of women. The influence of gender, age and relationship status of raters (respondents) on the attractiveness and trustworthiness ratings of models.

Professional attractiveness among long-term care workers in nursing homes in China: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundThe population aging trend and the shortage of elderly care workers require the long-term care profession to become more attractive. However, the professional attractiveness among long-term care workers has yet to be extensively studied. This study aims to identify the factors that influence the attractiveness of the long-term care profession for nursing home (NH) care workers..MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in more than 50 NHs. Perception of professional attractiveness among long-term care workers and potential associated factors were measured using the Attractive Work Questionnaire (AWQ) and structural instruments including the Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA) and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). A multiple linear regression method was employed to explore the influence of potential independent variables on professional attractiveness.ResultsThe overall response rate was 99%. The results showed the score of professional attractiveness (185.37 ± 20.034), as well as the scores of each component (99.26 ± 11.258 for work condition, 30.13 ± 3.583 for work content, and 55.99 ± 7.074 for job satisfaction). Findings of multiple linear regression analysis indicated that age(β = 0.129, p<.05), years of work(β = 0.156, p<.05), 12-hour shifts(β = 0.185, p<.05), and training times per year(β = 0.148, p<.05) positively associated with long-term care workers perceived professional attractiveness. Whereas only ageism(β=-0.267, p<.05) significantly and negatively influenced professional attractiveness.ConclusionsThe perceived professional attractiveness of long-term care workers in NHs was acceptable. Age, years of work, shifts, training opportunities, and ageism contributed to the professional attractiveness of nursing home care workers in China. Target intervention measures should be taken to enhance the attractiveness of long-term care careers so as to avoid the shortage of long-term care workers.

Changing perceptions of people wearing masks: Two years of living in a pandemic

AbstractDespite the widespread use of face masks to combat COVID‐19, little is known about their immediate and delayed social consequences. To understand short‐ and long‐term effects of face masks on interpersonal perception, we measured the evaluation of faces with and without masks at four time points—June 2020, January 2021, September 2021 and June 2022—from the early months of the pandemic in North America to the more recent, and from the implementation of mask mandates to the end of these requirements. Surprisingly, we found that, in general, faces with masks were perceived as more competent, warm, trustworthy, considerate and attractive, but less dominant and anxious than faces without masks. Moreover, differences in attributions of dominance, trustworthiness and warmth between faces with and without masks increased in a linear trend from June 2020 to June 2022. Notably, the impact of masks on perceptions of competence, considerateness, attractiveness and anxiousness did not change over time. We discuss how mask mandates can alter people's social perceptions of others who wear masks compared to those who do not wear masks and how these mandates may influence attributions of some traits more than others through mere exposure and/or social norms.

The role of attention in the effect of facial attractiveness on time perception.

Recent research has indicated that attractive faces often cause a dilation of our time perception thus affecting physical and mental health, and speculates that this could be relevant to the fact that attractive faces capture people's attention.Nevertheless, there was no direct experimental data to support this speculation. The present work was designed to illustrate how attention affects time perception of facial attractiveness. It utilized two experiments to investigate this phenomenon. In Experiment 1, perception of timing and attention bias were assessed using a temporal reproduction task and a dot-probe task. Increased attention bias was found to mediate the time dilation effect of facial attractiveness. Experiment 2 adopted dual-task paradigm, combining a temporal reproduction task and attractiveness rating task, to manipulate attention allocation. The findings suggested that allocating more attention to the task requiring timing enhanced the time dilation effect caused by the faces. Results of Experiments 1 and 2 converge to show that attention plays an essential role in the effects of facial attractiveness on time perception.

The role of employer branding and internal marketing in talent attraction and retention: an applied study in a Portuguese metallurgical industry

PurposeThis research seeks to understand whether employer branding (EB) and internal marketing (IM) are fundamental to the challenge of attracting and retaining talent and how these strategies can help companies to overcome the difficulties related to the talent shortage, from the perspective of a SME Portuguese metallurgical industry.Design/methodology/approachThe research resorts to a case study of a qualitative nature, through a semi-structured interview with the head of the human resources (HR) training and development area of the Navarra Group, and quantitative, through surveys to its employees. Based on the literature, a conceptual model was constructed, whose application allowed us to perceive the relationships between the practices of EB and IM; satisfaction, motivation and commitment; attraction and retention.FindingsThe exploratory interview concluded that organizations consider EB and IM essential for an effective talent management strategy. The quantitative results demonstrate that IM and EB practices implemented in the organization contribute to the satisfaction, motivation and involvement of employees, which results in a decrease in the intention to leave. It is also noted that these practices promote an increase in the perception of organizational attractiveness, which represents a positive impact on its ability to attract.Research limitations/implicationsFrom a theoretical perspective, the research contributes to the development of knowledge about IM, EB and talent management, providing relevant data that can help define the best strategies for attraction and retention, from the point of view of IM and EB.Originality/valueThe research presents preliminary insights that can be an auxiliary tool for HR managers and professionals in the context of industrial SMEs.

Do international new ventures have attraction advantages? Insights from a recruitment perspective

This study applies a recruitment lens to examine how the proactive internationalization of new ventures might influence job seeker perceptions of organizational attractiveness. Using signaling theory and person-environment fit theory to develop our hypotheses, we employ a metric conjoint experiment with 209 job seekers (making 3344 decisions). Our multilevel regression results suggest that the international new venture (INV) strategy of proactive internationalization presents an ambivalent recruiting signal to job seekers. However, this effect is positively moderated by job seekers’ personal initiative and international experience. We offer implications for signaling theory in international entrepreneurship, and practical implications for staffing INVs.

Cross-cultural perception of strength, attractiveness, aggressiveness and helpfulness of Maasai male faces calibrated to handgrip strength

Previous research has demonstrated that Maasai and Europeans tend to align in their ratings of the physical strength and aggressiveness of Maasai male faces, calibrated to hand grip strength (HGS). However, perceptions of attractiveness of these faces differed among populations. In this study, three morphs of young Maasai men created by means of geometric morphometrics, and depicting the average sample and two extrema (± 4 SD of HGS), were assessed by men and women from Tanzania, Czech Republic, Russia, Pakistan, China, and Mexico (total sample = 1540). The aim of this study was to test cross-cultural differences in the perception of young Maasai men’s composites calibrated to HGS, focusing on four traits: physical strength, attractiveness, aggressiveness, and helpfulness. Individuals from all six cultures were able to distinguish between low, medium, and high HGS portraits. Across all study populations, portrait of Maasai men with lower HGS was perceived as less attractive, more aggressive, and less helpful. This suggests that people from diverse populations share similar perceptions of physical strength based on facial shape, as well as attribute similar social qualities like aggressiveness and helpfulness to these facial images. Participants from all samples rated the composite image of weak Maasai men as the least attractive.

Relationships between perception of black triangles appearance, personality factors and level of education

This analytical cross-sectional study evaluated the perception of black triangles (BT) and examined the relationships between the perception of BT, personality factors, different educational backgrounds and demographic factors. 435 participants were included and divided into four groups: dentists, clinical (4th and 5th year) dental students, pre-clinical (3rd year) dental students, and laypeople. Participants’ perception of the attractiveness of smile profiles of maxillary and mandibular anterior dentition with BT was rated using a ten-point VAS scale with 0 being the least, and 10 being the most attractive smile profile. The personality was assessed using the NEO-FFI personality questionnaire. The smile profile with multiple large BT was rated the least attractive for the maxillary (mean = 3.6) and mandibular (mean = 3.9) tested profiles. The smile profile without BT was rated the most attractive for the maxillary (mean = 9.1) and mandibular (mean = 8.8) tested profiles. The dental professionals perceived the maxillary smile profile with multiple large BT as less attractive than the non-dental participants (t = − 2.715, P = 0.007). Being a male, having dental education, having lower Neuroticism scores, as well as having higher Openness, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion scores predicted and contributed more towards perceiving various tested smile profiles as more attractive. These findings show that black triangles negatively impacts the perception of smile attractiveness, and that personality traits and having dental education impact the perception of smile attractiveness for smiles with black triangles.

A Brief Summary of the Ways in Which our Genes Influence our Perceptions of Attraction and Love

The connection between genetics and love has been a topic of interest for decades. Romantic love involves closeness, passion, and commitment, with distinct emotional, behavioral, hormonal, and neuropsychological characteristics. Neurobiological changes, immune system involvement, and genetic polymorphisms can help therapists and counselors provide personalized guidance and develop targeted interventions. Finally, it concludes that love is a combination of processes influenced by genes, environment, and commitment.

The effect of self-focused attention during mirror gazing on body image evaluations, appearance-related imagery, and urges to mirror gaze

Background and objectivesMirror gazing has been linked to poor body image. Cognitive-behavioral models propose that mirror gazing induces self-focused attention. This activates appearance-related imagery, increases body dissatisfaction, and promotes further mirror gazing. However, evidence for these relationships remains scarce. Our study experimentally investigated how self-focused attention impacts overall and facial appearance satisfaction, perceived attractiveness, distress about appearance and disliked features, vividness and emotional quality of appearance-related imagery, and urges to mirror gaze. Baseline body dysmorphic concerns were studied as a moderator. MethodsSingaporean undergraduates (Mage = 21.22, SDage = 1.62; 35 females, 28 males) were randomly assigned to high or low self-focused attention during a mirror gazing task. Dependent variables were measured with visual analogue scales, and body dysmorphic concerns with the Body Image Disturbance Questionnaire (BIDQ). Analysis of variance and moderation analyses were conducted. ResultsSelf-focused attention lowered overall and facial appearance satisfaction. Perceived attractiveness decreased only in individuals with high baseline body dysmorphic concerns. Contrary to predictions, distress, appearance-related imagery, and urges to mirror gaze were unaffected. LimitationsThis study used a non-clinical sample. The BIDQ has not been psychometrically validated in Singaporean samples. ConclusionsSelf-focused attention during mirror gazing lowers positive body image evaluations. Individuals with higher body dysmorphic concerns are particularly vulnerable to low perceived attractiveness.

Ketika kekerasan dianggap seksi: persepsi laki-laki bahwa perempuan suka kekerasan memicu pola pikir ekstremis militan

Inspired by the paradigm of mate selection motives in evolutionary psychology, this research seeks to determine the extent to which violent extremist thought patterns are a product of perceptions of attractiveness that persist in men as a response to intrasexual selection. The survey was conducted on 192 samples of the general population in Indonesia, on a male sample (n = 80), after controlling for demographic variables, including dark personality (dark triad), men's subjective perception that Indonesian women find violence attractive (PAOSV) predicts militant-extremist mindset. PAOSV was the only variable that predicted violent extremism mindset in men. Furthermore, we discovered a mechanism that we call “sexualization of violence” – namely the extent to which individuals perceive violence as sexy, manly, and cool (AV) as a process that arises from the perception of high levels of positive feedback from the opposite sex towards violence. Where in the sample of men in this study, the only variable that shaped the mindset of violent extremism was sexual motives. The discussion elaborate differences in perceptions of attraction to violence between men and women, differentiation and gaps in perceptions between men and women in assessing violence. This study has practical implications, namely discussing the importance of the role of women as active agents in the formation of a culture of nonviolence.

Tanning Melanotan Jabs and Nasal Spray: Safe or Not?

Cultural values among young population are focused on the concept of skin tanning as a perception of health and attractiveness. This has populated the development of using synthetic tanning agents especially with the advertisement coming from the social media. Synthetic tanning agents in forms of nasal spray or injections have gained publicity of use within society through the web and other uncontrolled sourcing routes. Warnings have been issued by UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and Irish Medicines Board against the use of subcutaneous injections labelled as Melanotan, after the upsurge in consuming tanning injections that has noticed in recent years [1].

Evaluation of Smile Characteristics of Attractive Smile in Various Growth Patterns

Objective: To investigate the dynamic aspect of attractive smile and smile parameters in different growth patterns. Methods: Participants ranging in age from 17 to 25 years were randomly selected and videographic records of smile were obtained. A panel of two orthodontists, two prosthodontists, and two laypersons were involved in the selection of attractive smile. Inter-examiner variability was also assessed. The final sample of 84 participants with attractive smile were grouped into three categories based on clinical FMA into average, horizontal, and vertical growth pattern. Upper lip length = ULL-R, Lower lip length = LLL-R were measured on rest photographs. Upper lip length = ULL-S, Lower lip length = LLL-S, Upper lip thickness = ULT, Lower lip thickness = LLT, Maxillary incisal display = MID, Interlabial gap = ILG, Outer inter commissural width = ICW, Buccal corridor space = BC were measured on smile photographs. Pearson’s Chi-square test was done for the perception of attractiveness of smile. Differences among the three groups was subjected to one-way analysis of variance and Tukey’s post hoc test. Results: Highly significant correlation was observed among orthodontists, prosthodontists, and laypersons in assessing attractiveness of smile. Vertical parameters such as upper lip length at rest, upper lip length during smile, lower lip length at rest, lower lip length during smile, and lower lip thickness (LLT) were significantly increased in the vertical pattern when compared with the average and horizontal growth pattern, whereas buccal corridor space was the least in horizontal growth pattern. Conclusion: Growth patterns appear to have an influence on perception of smile esthetics and smile parameters. This suggests that care should be taken while framing treatment goals considering the significant differences among growth patterns. Strong correlation was observed among orthodontists, prosthodontists, and laypersons in assessing attractiveness of smile. ULL-R, ULL-S, LLL-R, LLL-S, and ΔULL show a significantly higher value in vertical growth pattern when compared to average and horizontal growth pattern. The buccal corridor space (BC) among the participants was the least in horizontal growth pattern.

Evaluation of the Influence of Nasolabial Angle, Upper Sulcus Depth, and Nasal Tip Protrusion in the Perception of Facial Attractiveness

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the influence of variations in the upper sulcus depth, nasal tip protrusion, and nasolabial angle on the esthetic perception of profiles. Design: A web-based survey study and was conducted in the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics. This survey was conducted for a period of 10 months and included orthodontists practicing in India. Methods: This study included lateral cephalograms of the most esthetic profiles from a set of 30 profiles that were within Holdaways norms; the most esthetic profile was determined by a panel of two orthodontists and two general dentists. The most esthetic profile photograph will be transferred to a computer in Corel software. The outline of the profile will remain the same, with the inner aspect converted into a dark area (black); now, the profile is completely converted into facial silhouettes. This black facial silhouette is presented to avoid any distractions and bias. There will be a total of 27 silhouettes by various combinations of increased, decreased, and normal values for nasolabial angle, upper sulcus depth, and nasal tip protrusions. Results: Both the orthodontist and layman chose the most favored profile as a normal profile having a normal nasal tip, normal nasolabial angle, and normal upper sulcus depth, whereas among dentists, 50% chose the most favored profile in which the nasolabial angle was normal but the nasal tip and upper labial sulcus were decreased. When it comes to the least favored profiles, opinions varied between orthodontists, dentists, and laymen. Conclusion: The perception of facial esthetics has always been and still is varied between the layman, the dentist, and the orthodontists. Profiles with normal to sharp noses with normal and increased nasolabial angles were considered more attractive than the others. Profiles with fuller upper labial sulci were considered least attractive with other parameters changing.

Influence of the human body odor compound HMHA on face perception.

Body odors convey information about the individuals, but the mechanisms are not fully understood yet. As far as human reproduction is concerned, molecules that are produced in sexually dimorphic amounts could be possible chemosignals. 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid (HMHA) is one of them-more typical of men. Here, we investigated the possibility that the perception of gender and attractiveness in human faces could be implicitly influenced by this compound. Clearly feminine, ambiguous and clearly masculine faces were primed with an odor of HMHA, a control odor or air. Based on 100-ms face presentation, 40 raters had to identify the face's gender as quickly as possible and provide attractiveness evaluations. 3-hydroxy-3-methylhexanoic acid tended to be perceived as less pleasant and induced lower sniff duration in women compared with men. As to the effects of HMHA on face perception (vs. control conditions), we found that gender identification and the associated response time were unaffected by HMHA. Attractiveness of the faces, however, increased in presence of HMHA, but not in a sex-specific manner and only for unattractive faces with ambiguous gender. In sum, this study found no evidence in favor of a possible role of this sexually dimorphic compound in intrasexual competition nor in intersexual attraction.

Reactions to gender-(counter)normative behavior online in the United States: attraction and hiring implications

PurposeResearch indicates that inconsistent gender norm presentations are met with backlash, which is particularly damaging to women. With social media use in selection rising, it is important to understand if this remains consistent for job applicants on social media.Design/methodology/approachIn two experiments, this study investigates hiring managers' reactions to job applicant (in)consistent gender norm-based communication on Facebook (n = 197) and YouTube (n = 203). Participants located in the United States were asked to review social media materials, reported perceptions of task and social attraction, and make hiring recommendations.FindingsInconsistent with work on backlash in face-to-face settings, results demonstrated that masculine communication styles on social media may be detrimental to job seekers, and this was more pronounced for male job seekers. Feminine presentation styles had more favorable results.Practical implicationsThe findings challenge the long-held understanding that men have more leeway to behave in agentic ways in job seeking contexts. While this may remain true in face-to-face settings, these findings suggest that social media, lacking media richness, may be a context in which males experience backlash for agentic behavior.Originality/valueThe research offers a novel perspective investigating traditional gender expectations in the digital realm, paving the way for a more comprehensive understanding of gender in employment contexts. This study contributes to the growing body of research on online behavior and expands understanding of how hiring managers react to gender norms in the era of social media.