Does adult sex ratio predict regional variation in facial dominance perceptions? Evidence from an analysis of U.S. states

Torrance, J. S. , Kandrik, M. , Lee, A. J. , Debruine, L. M. and Jones, B. C. (2018) Does adult sex ratio predict regional variation in facial dominance perceptions? Evidence from an analysis of U.S. states. Evolutionary Psychology, 16(2), p. 1474704918776748. (doi: 10.1177/1474704918776748) (PMID:29860865)

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Abstract

When the adult sex ratio of the local population is biased toward women, men face greater costs due to increased direct intrasexual competition. In order to mitigate these costs, men may be more attuned to cues of other men’s physical dominance under these conditions. Consequently, we investigated the relationships between the extent to which people (N = 3,586) ascribed high dominance to masculinized versus feminized faces and variation in adult sex ratio across U.S. states. Linear mixed models showed that masculinized faces were perceived as more dominant than feminized faces, particularly for judgments of men’s facial dominance. Dominance perceptions were weakly related to adult sex ratio, and this relationship was not moderated by face sex, participant sex, or their interaction. Thus, our results suggest that dominance perceptions are relatively unaffected by broad geographical differences in adult sex ratios.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Torrance, Dr Jaimie and DeBruine, Professor Lisa and Kandrik, Dr Michal and Lee, Dr Anthony and Jones, Professor Benedict
Authors: Torrance, J. S., Kandrik, M., Lee, A. J., Debruine, L. M., and Jones, B. C.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Psychology & Neuroscience
Journal Name:Evolutionary Psychology
Publisher:SAGE Publications
ISSN:1474-7049
ISSN (Online):1474-7049
Published Online:03 June 2018
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2018 The Authors
First Published:First published in Evolutionary Psychology 16(2): 1474704918776748
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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Project CodeAward NoProject NamePrincipal InvestigatorFunder's NameFunder RefLead Dept
604381OCMATE�\200\224 Do oral contraceptives alter women�\200\231s mate preferences?Benedict JonesEuropean Research Council (ERC)OCMATE FP7ERC282655RI NEUROSCIENCE & PSYCHOLOGY
717381MULTIPREFLisa DebruineEuropean Commission (EC)705748RI NEUROSCIENCE & PSYCHOLOGY