Cues to health impact perceived trustworthiness and attractiveness

摘要

Cues to health are crucial for mate choice and for judgments of who to trust in social interactions. Skin colour cues current health, while masculinity may cue long-term health, it is also associated with negative personality traits (e.g. uncooperativeness). We therefore investigated the contributions of facial skin colour and masculine face shape to attractiveness and trustworthiness perception. Male faces were manipulated in both skin colour (healthy/unhealthy) and face shape (feminine/masculine). Healthy colour increased attractiveness and trustworthiness ratings. Feminine-shaped faces were perceived as more trustworthy while masculine-shaped faces were perceived as more attractive. Attractive male faces either had a healthy colour or a masculine shape, but possession of both characteristics did not elevate attractiveness further. The results suggest that the interplay between cues for mate choice is more complex than previously thought.