Social Perception of Illusory Faces: Effects of Width-to-Height Ratio, Chin Shape, and Eye-Mouth Distance

While real face features are known to influence social evaluations, the social perception of illusory faces remains largely unexplored despite neural similarities to real faces. This study aimed to fill this gap by manipulating the width-to-height ratio, chin shape, and eye-mouth distance of illusory faces and assessing their effects on perceived gender, cuteness, trustworthiness, dominance, attractiveness, and emotion. Key findings include the following: (1) high width-to-height ratios significantly boosted attractiveness for female participants but not for male participants; (2) round chins consistently enhanced perceptions of masculinity, cuteness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness; (3) eye-mouth distance was found to affect emotional perception. This research offers crucial experimental insights into the determinants of social evaluations for illusory faces.