Skip to main content

Research Repository

Advanced Search

Women’s preferences for sexual dimorphism in faces: Data from a sample of Arab women

Alharbi, Sarah A. H.; Holzleitner, Iris J.; Lee, Anthony J.; Saribay, S. Adil; Jones, Benedict C.

Women’s preferences for sexual dimorphism in faces: Data from a sample of Arab women Thumbnail


Authors

Sarah A. H. Alharbi

Anthony J. Lee

S. Adil Saribay

Benedict C. Jones



Abstract

Many previous studies have investigated the effects of manipulating sexually dimorphic shape characteristics in face images on attractiveness judgments. However, results have been mixed and show considerable cross-cultural variability, particularly for women’s judgments of men’s facial attractiveness. Because very little research has investigated face preferences in Arab samples, we assessed Arab women’s preferences for sexually dimorphic face shapes (study 1) and the effect of sexually dimorphic face shapes on Arab women’s dominance perceptions (study 2). Analyses showed that Arab women preferred feminized versions of both women’s and men’s faces over masculinized versions (study 1, N = 272) and that masculinizing face shape had a positive effect on Arab women’s perceptions of the dominance of men, but not women (study 2, N = 270). These image manipulations did not have a significant effect on perceptions of trustworthiness, however (study 3, N = 434). Collectively, these results suggest that Arab women prefer relatively feminine face shapes in potential mates that they perceive as being low dominance. We discuss some directions for future research on the ultimate function of Arab women’s preferences for sexual dimorphism in faces

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 5, 2020
Online Publication Date May 14, 2020
Publication Date 2020-12
Deposit Date Jun 11, 2021
Publicly Available Date Jun 11, 2021
Journal Evolutionary Psychological Science
Electronic ISSN 2198-9885
Publisher Springer (part of Springer Nature)
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 6
Issue 4
Pages 328-334
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/s40806-020-00244-y
Public URL https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7461313

Files






You might also like



Downloadable Citations