Adaptation reinforces preferences for correlates of attractive facial cues

Jones, B.C. , Debruine, L.M. and Little, A.C. (2008) Adaptation reinforces preferences for correlates of attractive facial cues. Visual Cognition, 16(7), pp. 849-858. (doi: 10.1080/13506280701760811)

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Abstract

It is generally thought that experience with faces recalibrates preferences to match the population average for recently encountered exemplars. Here, however, we demonstrate that viewing faces biases recalibration of preferences towards characteristics that are common to the more attractive faces that were encountered, rather than characteristics of the unbiased population average. Furthermore, this bias in recalibration of preferences was abolished when participants' attention was directed away from the attractive faces, suggesting it is a consequence of the tendency to look longer and more often at attractive faces than at relatively unattractive faces. These findings suggest a perceptual mechanism that may reinforce directional selection for nonaverage attractive facial characteristics and their correlates, rather than driving stabilizing selection for average traits.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:DeBruine, Professor Lisa and Jones, Professor Benedict
Authors: Jones, B.C., Debruine, L.M., and Little, A.C.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
Journal Name:Visual Cognition
ISSN:1350-6285
ISSN (Online):1464-0716
Published Online:27 September 2008

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