Faces differing in attractiveness elicit corresponding affective responses

Abstract

We examined whether faces differing in attractiveness elicit positive and negative affect in 7- to 10-year-old children (N=66) and adults (N=73). Facial electromyography measured affective response. Less attractive faces evoked significantly more levator labii superioris responses in adults and children. Attractiveness was negatively correlated with corrugator supercilii activity in adults, but not significantly in children. These results suggest that less attractive faces evoke greater disgust and negative affect than more attractive faces. Perceivers' affective reactions to attractive faces may play an important role in attractiveness preferences and attractiveness stereotypes.

Keywords:

• Affect
• Faces
• Attractiveness
• Electromyography
• Prototype

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grant R01HD021332 to JHL from the National Institute of Health.

The authors thank Teresa Taylor-Partridge, Rebecca Bigler, Jacqui Woolley, Catherine Norris, and Eric Moody for their helpful suggestions on this study.

Notes

¹An additional 36 undergraduate students (16 male) rated each image on a 7-point Likert scale of typicality (“How good of an example of a face is this face?”). As cognitive averaging predicts, there was a strong correlation between attractiveness and typicality (r=.85). The inter-rater reliability for both attractiveness and typicality ratings was above α=.96.