Affective responses to eyeglasses: evidence of a sex difference

Subjects indicated their affective reactions to a male and female photographed with eyeglasses, dark sunglasses, or a facial scar. The models' scars evoked considerable negative affect, and their sunglasses evoked a neutral reaction. The female's eyeglasses evoked almost as much negative affect as her scar, suggesting that they were associated with an unattractive disfigurement or defect. The male's eyeglasses evoked more positive affect than their sunglasses. Supplemental reanalyses of earlier data confirmed that eyeglasses detract from ratings of females' attractiveness, but they improve ratings of males' attractiveness.