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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 25, 2026

Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion

Asymmetric Walkway: A Novel Behavioral Assay for Studying Asymmetric Locomotion

Published on: January 15, 2016

Preference for symmetry: only on mars?

Kathrine Shepherd¹, Moshe Bar

¹Martinos Center at MGH, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA. shepherd@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu

|February 8, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Humans show a preference for symmetry, but this aesthetic bias differs between sexes. While both sexes prefer symmetrical faces, only males show a preference for symmetry in neutral visual objects, suggesting sex-specific functions.

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary Psychology
Visual Perception
Human Behavior

Background:

Symmetry preference is a widespread bias observed across the animal kingdom and in humans.
Previous research indicates symmetry influences attractiveness judgments, particularly for faces, in both males and females.
The functional significance of aesthetic symmetry preference remains debated, with theories suggesting roles in mate selection and perceptual fluency.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate sex differences in the preference for symmetry in neutral visual stimuli.
To test whether symmetry preference is solely explained by perceptual efficiency or if it has domain-specific functions.

Main Methods:

Participants (males and females) were presented with neutral visual objects.
Object symmetry was varied, and participants' preferences were recorded.
Statistical analyses were performed to compare preferences between sexes and across different stimuli.

Main Results:

Both male and female participants exhibited a preference for symmetrical faces in prior studies.
In this study, only male participants showed a significant preference for symmetry in neutral visual objects.
Female participants did not display a bias towards symmetrical neutral objects.

Conclusions:

The preference for symmetry in neutral objects is not universal across sexes, challenging domain-independent explanations like perceptual efficiency.
Findings suggest that the utility of symmetry preference may be sex-specific, particularly for males in relation to non-facial visual stimuli.
Further research is required to understand the evolutionary and functional significance of male-specific object symmetry preference.