Self-perceived Attractiveness Research Articles

Verhaltensendokrinologie in den Sozialwissenschaften

AbstractHormones are the endocrine system’s messengers and an important coordinating mechanism of the body’s growth, development, and functioning, with often simultaneous effects throughout the body and brain. Echoing calls for more interdisciplinary research bridging the gap between endocrinology and social sciences, we review evidence for hormones influencing human psychology (behaviour, cognition, and sociality), with a focus on health, sexuality, and further outcomes. We focus on four steroid hormones: testosterone (T), cortisol (C), estrogen (E), and progesterone (P). Embedded into life history theory as a prominent evolutionary framework, effects of T are conceptualised as modulating trade-offs between mating and parenting effort, especially when exposed to potential mates, interacting with offspring, and during competition. The challenge hypothesis suggests acute increases in T when facing challenges, with high T being linked to more competitive behaviour. The dual-hormone hypothesis postulates that C, as a measure of stress, inhibits the effects of T on status-seeking behaviour. The allostatic load framework suggests that chronic stress as indicated by high C levels could have detrimental health consequences. Various measurements of C are negatively related to socioeconomic status. The female steroid hormones E and P coordinate female reproduction by regulating the development and function of the uterus. They affect women’s sexual desire as well as self-perceived attractiveness and are influenced by endogenous (e.g. pregnancy) as well as exogenous (e.g. hormonal contraceptives) factors. We address misinterpretations of biological determinism, highlight potential challenges in measuring hormones, and discuss ways in which social scientists can continue to incorporate hormones into their research.

How photo editing in social media shapes self-perceived attractiveness and self-esteem via self-objectification and physical appearance comparisons

BackgroundAs photo editing behavior to enhance one?s appearance in photos becomes more and more prevalent on social network sites (SNSs), potential risks are increasingly discussed as well. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between photo editing behavior, self-objectification, physical appearance comparisons, self-perceived attractiveness, and self-esteem.Methods403 participants completed self-report questionnaires measuring the aformentioned constructs. A parallel-sequential multiple mediation model was conducted to examine the relationship between photo editing behavior and self-esteem considering multiple mediators.ResultsThe results indicate that photo editing behavior is negatively related to self-perceived attractiveness and self-esteem mediated via self-objectification and physical appearance comparisons.ConclusionsThe postulated mediation model was justified by our data. Thus, SNS users should be aware of potential negative consequences when using photo editing applications or filters.

Personality, self-appraisals, and body conscious emotions as predictors of symptoms of body dysmorphia and restrictive disordered eating

Anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder are often co-morbid and relate to distortions in the perception of self-appearance. It has been proposed that they should be placed in a new body image disorders category in the DSM. Dimensional perspectives suggest that clinical and sub-clinical manifestations of these psychopathologies reside on the same continuum. We explored the correlates of sub-clinical restrictive disordered eating, and sub-clinical body dysmorphia in 396 participants. Our online study tested how sub-clinical restrictive disordered eating, and body dysmorphia relate to self-perceived attractiveness, self-esteem, body-shame, body-pride, authentic and hubristic pride, and personality as described in revised reinforcement sensitivity theory. Body dysmorphia shared significantly stronger positive correlations than restrictive disordered eating with behavioral inhibition sensitivity, body-shame, and body-guilt, and significantly stronger negative correlations with self-esteem, and self-perceived attractiveness. Restrictive disordered eating and body dysmorphia were negatively correlated with authentic and hubristic pride. Hierarchical regression showed that reinforcement sensitivity explained more variance in body dysmorphia than in restrictive disordered eating (Model 1). Self-esteem and self-perceived attractiveness explained more of the additional variance in body dysmorphia than in restrictive disordered eating (Model 2), as did the addition of body-shame, body-pride, authentic and hubristic pride (Model 3). Sub-clinical restrictive disordered eating and body dysmorphia relate to several constructs that may be important in understanding the development and/or maintenance of two proposed body image disorders: anorexia nervosa and body dysmorphic disorder.

Post COVID-19, still wear a face mask? Self-perceived facial attractiveness reduces mask-wearing intention.

With the emerging post-COVID era, wearing face masks has become a domain of personal choice. Then, who wants to continue wearing a mask when it is no longer mandatory? In this article, we expect and examine the role of self-perceived facial attractiveness in predicting mask-wearing intention and its mechanism across three studies (total N = 1,030). Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that individuals with high (vs. low) self-perceived attractiveness were less willing to wear a mask, due to a weaker endorsement of the belief that mask-wearing enhances their perceived attractiveness (i.e., mask attractiveness belief). Study 3 further revealed that this mediational association was stronger in situations where the need to deliver a favorable impression was high (job interview context) versus low (walking a dog context). Overall, we provide a novel finding that self-perceived attractiveness has significant effects on mask-wearing intention via mask attractiveness belief in the post-pandemic of COVID-19. Our findings suggest that mask-wearing can shift from being a self-protection measure during the COVID-19 pandemic to a self-presentation tactic in the post-pandemic era.

Psychological flexibility and sociosexual orientation mediate the association between self-perceived attractiveness and mating effort

Psychological flexibility and sociosexual orientation mediate the association between self-perceived attractiveness and mating effort

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, I Deserve More Than All: Perceived Attractiveness and Self-Interested Behavior

A substantial amount of research has demonstrated that good-looking individuals are perceived and treated in a favorable manner; however, relatively little research has examined how attractive people actually behave. There are two predominant theories on attractiveness: the self-fulfilling nature of “what is beautiful is good” from social psychology and the evolutionary perspective of attractiveness, make divergent predictions in this regard. The current research systematically investigated whether physical attractiveness can predict self-interested behavior and, if so, in which direction. Across five studies ( N = 1303), self-perceived attractiveness, either chronically experienced (Studies 1–3) or temporarily heightened (Studies 4 and 5), predicted and increased self-interested behavioral intention and behavior. Increased psychological entitlement acted as a mediator in this process (Studies 1–5). Furthermore, the publicity of the act was a boundary condition for the effect of attractiveness on self-interested behavior (Study 5). We have discussed theoretical and practical implications.

Hormonal contraceptives as disruptors of competitive behavior: Theoretical framing and review

Emerging evidence suggests that hormonal contraceptives (HCs) impact psychological outcomes through alterations in neurophysiology. In this review, we first introduce a theoretical framework for HCs as disruptors of steroid hormone modulation of socially competitive attitudes and behaviors. Then, we comprehensively examine prior research comparing HC users and non-users in outcomes related to competition for reproductive, social, and financial resources. Synthesis of 46 studies (n = 16,290) led to several key conclusions: HC users do not show the same menstrual cycle-related fluctuations in self-perceived attractiveness and some intrasexual competition seen in naturally-cycling women and, further, may show relatively reduced status- or achievement-oriented competitive motivation. However, there a lack of consistent or compelling evidence that HC users and non-users differ in competitive behavior or attitudes for mates or financial resources. These conclusions are tentative given the notable methodological limitations of the studies reviewed. Implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.

Dark personality traits and sociosexual dynamics in Australian men and women: Two direct replications of Borráz-León & Rantala (2021)

Direct replication is essential to establish generalisability of effects and identify false positive results. This research presents two direct replications of a study that explored dark personality traits (Machiavellianism, narcissism, and psychopathy) as predictors of self-perceived attractiveness, mate value and number of sexual partners (sociosexual dynamics), in Finnish university students (Borráz-León & Rantala, 2021). In the current study, 304 university students (48 men, 250 women; Sample 1) and 507 Australian adults (164 men, 339 women; Sample 2) completed questionnaires assessing the same dark traits and sociosexual dynamics. Results showed that higher levels of narcissism were associated with higher self-perceived attractiveness and mate value in both samples (directly replicating findings of the original research). Inconsistent with findings from the original study, psychopathy had a negative association with perceived mate value (in both samples), and dark traits were unrelated to number of sexual partners. There was little evidence that findings were moderated by sex with similar associations observed for men and women. Overall, the findings of this research provide evidence that narcissism and psychopathy can predict some sociosexual outcomes in Australian adults, and might be of interest to clinicians working in areas related to romantic and sexual issues.

Are Toxoplasma-infected subjects more attractive, symmetrical, or healthier than non-infected ones? Evidence from subjective and objective measurements.

BackgroundParasites are among the main factors that negatively impact the health and reproductive success of organisms. However, if parasites diminish a host’s health and attractiveness to such an extent that finding a mate becomes almost impossible, the parasite would decrease its odds of reproducing and passing to the next generation. There is evidence that Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) manipulates phenotypic characteristics of its intermediate hosts to increase its spread. However, whether T. gondii manipulates phenotypic characteristics in humans remains poorly studied. Therefore, the present research had two main aims: (1) To compare traits associated with health and parasite resistance in Toxoplasma-infected and non-infected subjects. (2) To investigate whether other people perceive differences in attractiveness and health between Toxoplasma-infected and non-infected subjects of both sexes.MethodsFor the first aim, Toxoplasma-infected (n = 35) and non-infected subjects (n = 178) were compared for self-perceived attractiveness, number of sexual partners, number of minor ailments, body mass index, mate value, handgrip strength, facial fluctuating asymmetry, and facial width-to-height ratio. For the second aim, an independent group of 205 raters (59 men and 146 women) evaluated the attractiveness and perceived health of facial pictures of Toxoplasma-infected and non-infected subjects.ResultsFirst, we found that infected men had lower facial fluctuating asymmetry whereas infected women had lower body mass, lower body mass index, a tendency for lower facial fluctuating asymmetry, higher self-perceived attractiveness, and a higher number of sexual partners than non-infected ones. Then, we found that infected men and women were rated as more attractive and healthier than non-infected ones.ConclusionsOur results suggest that some sexually transmitted parasites, such as T. gondii, may produce changes in the appearance and behavior of the human host, either as a by-product of the infection or as the result of the manipulation of the parasite to increase its spread to new hosts. Taken together, these results lay the foundation for future research on the manipulation of the human host by sexually transmitted pathogens and parasites.

Mechanism of the association between men’s self-perceived attractiveness and sexual interest perception: the mediating paths of positive and negative mating efficacies

At the core of sexual assault is a misunderstanding of sexual consent, and incorrect sexual interest perception is a misunderstanding of other people’s sexual consent. Therefore, it is important to examine the mechanism of sexual interest perception to prevent instances of sexual assault. In order to explore the relationship and mechanism between self-perceived attractiveness and sexual interest perception, this study explored the relationship between self-perceived attractiveness and sexual interest perception from the perspectives of positive mating efficacy (mating confidence and self-esteem) and negative mating efficacy (perceived rejection experiences from the opposite sex, rejection sensitivity, and social anxiety). Four hundred and three heterosexual male subjects participated in this study (age in years: M = 26.4, SD = 6.1). The results showed that mating confidence and negative mating efficacy, but not self-esteem, mediated the relationship between self-perceived attractiveness and the sexual interest perception. The findings indicated that those with high self-perceived attractiveness overestimated sexual interest and those with low self-perceived attractiveness underestimated sexual interest.

Female body dressing: Perceptions and investments in beauty

Clothing style and the extent of body revealing in public are cultural and social factors that can influence one’s beauty investments and assessments of attractiveness. To explore this further, we recruited 99 Polish women from Poland (perceived to represent a western approach to dress and body) and 100 Iranian women from Iran (perceived to represent a Muslim culture with a more modest approach to dress). We asked these women to respond to questionnaires to test whether cultural norms regarding one’s clothing are linked to investments in one’s beauty and self-perceived attractiveness. In line with our hypotheses, Polish women (who have more freedom to reveal their bodies publicly) spent more time caring for their bodies than Iranian women. Polish women also spent more time caring for their bodies than their faces. However, contrary to our predictions, Iranian women did not spend more time caring for their faces than their bodies. In fact, Iranian women did not spend more time caring for their faces than Polish women. Furthermore, we observed that older participants spent less time thinking about their attractiveness and owned fewer care products than younger participants. We further discuss our findings in the context of cultural norms regarding female body dressing and how it might relate to beauty investments.

Factors Influencing Sexual Vocalization in Human Females.

Human females use numerous signals to attract male attention which can be ultimately motivated by enhanced paternal investment in the offspring. Sexual vocalization is a form of female sexual signaling. The majority of hypotheses attempting to explain the functional significance of vocalizations have been applied on non-human primates, while research on human females is scarce. This study investigated factors underlying sexual vocalization with a sample of 403 heterosexual Slovak females. Sexual vocalization was most frequent during penetration itself compared with other forms of sexual activities, which supports its signaling function. The most frequently reported sexual vocalizations were moaning/groaning, followed by screams and instructional commands, squeals, and words. Both the frequency and intensity of sexual vocalizations were significantly and positively associated with sexual arousal during the last sexual vaginal intercourse and sociosexuality. About 38% of females reported that they pretended vocalization and, in turn, pretended vocalization was exclusively associated with pretending orgasm. No direct evidence was found for any associations between self-reported frequency and intensity of sexual vocalization and partner satisfaction/physical attractiveness/ambition/dominance, self-perceived attractiveness, or occurrence of orgasm. The frequency (but not intensity) of sexual vocalization was positively influenced by the conception risk. On the proximate level, it seems that sexually less restricted females may use sexual vocalization to increase their sexual attractiveness to their current partner by means of boosting their partner's self-esteem. Enhanced vocalization by sexually unrestricted females may ultimately secure higher paternal investment and increase the confidence of the paternity of current sexual partner.

Beautiful and Confident: How Boosting Self-Perceived Attractiveness Reduces Preference Uncertainty in Context-Dependent Choices

Despite marketers’ efforts to make consumers feel attractive in many sales and advertising contexts, little is known about how consumers’ self-perceived physical attractiveness influences their decision making. The authors examine whether a boost in consumers’ self-perceived attractiveness influences subsequent choices in domains unrelated to beauty. Across six studies, the authors find converging evidence that a boost in consumers’ self-perceived attractiveness enhances their general self-confidence and reduces preference uncertainty, resulting in less reliance on the choice context and thus fewer choices of compromise, all-average, and default options. The findings further show that consumers use self-confidence as metacognitive information for inferring preference uncertainty in subsequent decisions. This process is a misattribution that can be attenuated when consumers attribute their self-confidence to the self-perceived attractiveness. The article concludes with a discussion of theoretical and managerial implications.

Self-Perceived Facial Attractiveness, Fluctuating Asymmetry, and Minor Ailments Predict Mental Health Outcomes

ObjectivePhenotypic markers associated with developmental stability such as fluctuating asymmetry, facial attractiveness, and reports of minor ailments can also act as indicators of overall physical health. However, few studies have assessed whether these markers might also be cues of mental health. We tested whether self- and other-perceived facial attractiveness, fluctuating asymmetry, and minor ailments are associated with psychopathological symptoms in a mixed sample of 358 college students, controlling for the effects of body mass index, age, and sex.MethodsWe applied the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaire to assess psychopathological symptoms, a battery of questionnaires about self-perceptions of facial attractiveness, and gathered information about the number of previous minor ailments as well as demographic data. Other-perceived attractiveness was assessed by an independent mixed sample of 109 subjects. Subjects’ facial fluctuating asymmetry was determined by geometric morphometrics.ResultsThe results revealed that in both men and women, higher self-perceived attractiveness and fewer minor ailments predicted lower scores of Somatization, Obsessive–Compulsive, Interpersonal Sensitivity, Depression, Anxiety, Phobic Anxiety, Paranoid Ideation, Psychoticism, and a General Psychopathology Index. Higher facial fluctuating asymmetry was associated with higher Interpersonal Sensitivity, but did not contribute to its prediction when controlling for the other studied variables.ConclusionsThe observed strong associations between self-perceived attractiveness, minor ailments, and psychopathology indicate common developmental pathways between physiological and psychological symptomatology which may reflect broader life history (co)variation between genetics, developmental environment, and psychophysiological functioning.

Physical attractiveness predicts endorsement of specific evolutionary psychology principles.

Evolutionary psychology has emerged as a controversial discipline, particularly with regard to its claims concerning the biological basis of sex differences in human mate preferences. Drawing on theories of motivated inference, we hypothesized that those who are most likely to be privileged by specific aspects of the theory would be most likely to support the theory. In particular, we predicted that physical attractiveness would be positively associated with endorsement of predictions of evolutionary psychology concerning mating strategies. Two studies confirmed this hypothesis. In Study 1, participants rated as higher in physical attractiveness were more likely to support specific principles of evolutionary psychology. In Study 2, a manipulation designed to boost self-perceived physical attractiveness increased endorsement of those same principles. Observer-rated physical attractiveness generally predicted individuals’ support of the theoretical principles better than did gender, political orientation, or self-esteem. Results suggest that those most likely to benefit according to certain predictions of evolutionary psychology are also those most likely to be sympathetic toward its relevant principles.

Additional evidence for the relationship between mating strategy and disgust in a non-student sample

Relatively recently, human mating strategies were found to be associated with the emotion of disgust. Specifically, preference for short-term mating was associated with lower levels of sexual, but not pathogen or moral disgust. It has been suggested that successful short-term mating includes a key component, namely suppressed sexual disgust. In addition, men's attractiveness was found to have an indirect effect on the level of sexual disgust via short-term mating. However, some inconsistent findings cast doubt on the proposed mechanism by which short-term mating tendencies calibrate disgust sensitivity. This highlights the importance of further replication studies in different cultures and populations to validate the use of the proposed cognitive adaptation in explaining observed relationships. Therefore, we sought to replicate the original findings in a non-student sample from Croatia consisting of 407 heterosexual adults. In general, we successfully replicated the original findings by showing large, direct, and negative effects of short-term mating strategies on sexual disgust. However, direct or indirect effects of self-perceived attractiveness on disgust have not been found. In summary, the current results provide additional evidence for the relationship between mating strategy and specifically sexual disgust.

Self-rated physical attractiveness and its relation to psychological well-being across adolescence

ABSTRACT The goal of the current analyses was to explore associations of self-rated physical attractiveness with facets of psychological well-being across adolescence. Participants provided information on their perceived physical attractiveness, internalized distress, suicidal ideation, and self-harm at 15, 17 and 20 years of age. Male adolescents repeatedly provided higher ratings of their own physical attractiveness in comparison to female peers. Self-perceived physical attractiveness was negatively associated with internalized distress in 15- to 20-year-old girls. In boys this association reached statistical significance only at the ages of 17 and 20 years. Statistically significant relations between suicidal ideation, self-harm and physical attractiveness resulted in girls only. Findings suggest small but stable relationships between self-rated physical attractiveness and facets of psychological well-being between 15 and 20 years – particularly in girls. Results underline the importance of self-perceived attractiveness in relation to mental health across adolescence.

Mate Availability and Sexual Disgust.

ObjectiveOne of the factors that sexual disgust should be calibrated to is the size of the mating pool. This study tested this hypothesis by examining whether perceptions of mate availability explain variance in levels of sexual disgust towards potential mates.MethodsParticipants (N = 853; 373 women) rated how sexually disgusting they found 60 potential mates that have previously been rated on attractiveness by a separate group of raters. We also measured participants’ perceptions of mate availability in their local environment, self-perceived attractiveness and mate value, and relevant control variables.ResultsMultilevel models revealed a negative association between sexual disgust towards potential mates and perceived mate availability—the opposite of what we predicted. We found support for our prediction that women had higher levels of sexual disgust than men, but only after addressing the confounding sex difference in target attractiveness. We also found the predicted negative association between target attractiveness and sexual disgust. Finally, as predicted, sexual disgust levels were more strongly related to potential mates’ attractiveness in individuals who perceived there to be many available mates in their local environment.ConclusionsThese findings generally bolster functional accounts of sexual disgust while highlighting the need for more evidence to ascertain the role of mate availability in the calibration of sexual disgust. Specifically, future research should examine the extent to which disgust levels may truncate mental representations of the mating pool instead of being calibrated by them.

The attitude toward the use of physical attractiveness – adonization – as an influence strategy among young women. The role of self-perceived attractiveness and contingencies of self-worth

In the present study, we examined the associations between self-perceptions of attractiveness, contingencies of self-worth and the attitude toward the use of physical attractiveness as an influence strategy (adonization) among young women. Five hundred and eighty-seven women aged 18–35 years assessed their self-perceptions of attractiveness, contingencies of self-worth, and the attitude toward adonization. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that self-perceptions of physical and social attractiveness predicted a positive attitude toward adonization. External contingencies of self-worth predicted less positive perceptions of attractiveness, while internal contingencies of self-esteem predicted more positive self-perceptions of physical attractiveness. Additionally, external contingencies of self-worth predicted a positive attitude toward adonization. Self-perceptions of physical and social attractiveness mediated between external contingencies of self-esteem and attitude toward adonization.

Body Image and Voluntary Gaze Behaviors towards Physique-Salient Images.

The purpose of this study was to explore body image correlates of voluntary consumption of physique-salient media. A secondary aim was to assess changes in affect following media consumption. Young adult men (n = 47; mean age = 20.2 years) and women (n = 87; mean age = 19.5 years) were discretely exposed to images of same-sex models with idealized- and average-physiques while completing an irrelevant computer task. Voluntary gaze at the images was covertly recorded via hidden cameras. Participants also completed measures of affect before and after the computer task. Measures of body-related envy, body appreciation, and self-perceptions of attractiveness, thinness, and physical strength were completed. Men and women did not differ in how often nor for how long they looked at the images overall, but body image variables were differentially associated with their voluntary gaze behaviors. For men, higher body-related envy and lower body appreciation were correlated with more looks at the average-physique model. Although women reported higher body-related envy than men, envy and body appreciation were not significant correlates of gaze behaviors for women. Both men and women experienced a general affective decrease over time, but only for men was the change in negative affect associated with their time spent looking at the ideal-physique image. Overall, these findings suggest that body-related envy and body appreciation influence how men choose to consume physique-salient media, and that media consumption may have negative consequences for post-exposure affect. Body image factors appear to be more strongly associated with behavior in men, perhaps because men are generally less often exposed to physique-salient media and, in particular, to average-physique images.