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Published on: February 29, 2020
Intersectional dehumanization in faces: Facial attractiveness and perceived intelligence differentially predict
Neelamberi Devi Klein1, Kurt Hugenberg1
1Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences, Indiana University Bloomington, Bloomington, Indiana, United states of America.
Plos One
|July 1, 2026
Summary
Attractive faces are seen as more humanlike regardless of race. However, perceived intelligence predicts humanness only for White faces, not Black faces, suggesting race influences social perceptions.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Cognitive Psychology
- Perception Science
Background:
- Previous research indicates attractiveness and perceived intelligence influence humanlike ascriptions for White faces.
- Limited research has explored these effects across different racial groups.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if the relationship between facial attractiveness, perceived intelligence, and perceived humanness differs across Black and White targets.
- To examine the moderating role of target race and gender in these social perceptions.
Main Methods:
- Two studies were conducted using participant evaluations of faces.
- Participants rated the attractiveness, perceived intelligence, and humanness of Black and White male and female faces.
Main Results:
- Higher facial attractiveness was consistently linked to greater perceived humanness across all target races and genders.
- Perceived intelligence predicted perceived humanness only for White targets, not for Black targets.
- Target race significantly moderated the relationship between perceived intelligence and humanness.
Conclusions:
- Facial trait perceptions are influenced by target identity, specifically race.
- These findings align with theories suggesting race-dependent face-trait relationships and the devaluation of Black individuals' minds.
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