Views of Facial Attractiveness of Faces of Individuals With and Without an Intellectual Disability

Little is known about people with intellectual disabilities' views of facial attractiveness and and how desirable they feel they are (self-desirability).

Twenty-four adults with intellectual disabilities and twenty-five adults without disabilities were recruited from further education colleges and voluntary community organisations. Participants were asked to rate the attractiveness of facial images of typically developing individuals and individuals with Down syndrome. This was followed by a semi-structured interview, exploring participants with intellectual disabilities' perceptions of self-desirability.

The participants with intellectual disabilities gave consistent attractiveness ratings when evaluating images of people with an intellectual disability. They were also more likely, than not, to perceive themselves as desirable to those they found attractive.

The findings suggest that people with intellectual disabilities make sophisticated intuitive judgments about the facial attractiveness of other people with and without intellectual disabilities, and remain positive about their own attractiveness.