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Related Experiment Videos

Lateral feature displacement and perceived facial attractiveness.

J Friedenberg1

  • 1Department of Psychology, Manhattan College, Manhattan College Parkway, Riverdale, NY 10471, USA. jfrieden@manhattan.edu

Psychological Reports
|April 11, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Facial feature displacement, even in symmetrical faces, reduces attractiveness. Symmetry itself does not increase attractiveness, but deviations from symmetry are perceived more negatively.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Perception Science
  • Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

  • Facial attractiveness is influenced by symmetry and feature arrangement.
  • Previous research suggests symmetry enhances facial appeal.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of lateral facial feature displacement on attractiveness ratings.
  • To determine if symmetrical faces are rated higher than normal faces.
  • To assess sensitivity to feature displacement originating from symmetrical versus normal faces.

Main Methods:

  • Lateral displacement of vertically adjacent facial features in normal and symmetrical faces.
  • Undergraduate participants rated the attractiveness of manipulated facial images.
  • Two experiments were conducted, with the second controlling for displacement distance from symmetry.

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Main Results:

  • Symmetrical faces were not rated as more attractive than normal faces.
  • Faces with alternating feature displacements were rated less attractive.
  • Displacements from symmetrical faces were perceived more negatively than from normal faces, indicating heightened sensitivity.

Conclusions:

  • Facial symmetry alone does not guarantee higher attractiveness ratings.
  • Deviations from facial symmetry, particularly alternating displacements, significantly decrease perceived attractiveness.
  • The human visual system exhibits greater sensitivity to facial feature displacement when it occurs from a symmetrical baseline.