Blackpill Men's Faces Convey Information about their Bodies and their Behavior: What you see is what you get

[Lazyandtalentless]

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/147470490800600311

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This research, conducted by Shoup and Gallup, explores the relationship between male facial attractiveness, body morphology, strength, and sexual behavior, grounding its investigation in evolutionary psychology principles.

I. Introduction: Theoretical Framework and Hypotheses​

• Evolutionary Basis: The study begins by establishing the evolutionary significance of facial perception. The authors posit that humans are highly attuned to faces due to their role as indicators of individual fitness and mate quality. Consistent preferences for certain facial features across cultures suggest a selective advantage for those who can discern these cues.
• Symmetry as a Fitness Marker: Building on previous research, the authors highlight the importance of facial symmetry as a marker of genetic health, developmental stability, and overall fitness. Symmetry has been linked to better health outcomes and is generally perceived as more attractive.
• Expanding Beyond Facial Features: The study moves beyond facial features alone, investigating how faces reflect broader sexually dimorphic traits like strength and body configuration (specifically, the shoulder-to-hip ratio, SHR).
• WHR in Females vs. SHR in Males: Parallels are drawn between the significance of waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) in females (signaling fertility and health) and SHR in males (indicating upper body strength and testosterone levels).
• SHR and Male Behavior: The introduction notes that men with higher SHRs tend to have earlier sexual experiences, more partners, and higher grip strength, suggesting a link between body shape, strength, and mating behavior.
• Central Hypothesis: The core question is whether female ratings of male facial attractiveness can predict independent measures of strength, body configuration (SHR), and sexual behavior (number of partners, age of first intercourse). The study hypothesizes a positive correlation between facial attractiveness and these traits.

II. Materials and Methods: A Detailed Look​

• Participants:
  • Males (N=38): Undergraduate college students providing morphological data (shoulder and hip circumferences), handgrip strength, and sexual history.
  • Females (N=16): Undergraduate college students rating the attractiveness of male facial photographs.
• Procedure:
  1. Data Collection from Males:
     • SHR Measurement: Shoulder and hip circumferences were measured following a standardized protocol. SHR was calculated as the ratio of shoulder circumference to hip circumference.
     • Grip Strength Measurement: Grip strength was measured using a hand-held dynamometer. Participants squeezed the dynamometer as hard as possible, and the maximum of three readings per hand was recorded.
     • Facial Photographs: Standardized digital photographs were taken of each male's face from the neck up against a white background under controlled lighting conditions. Participants were asked to remove hats, glasses, and other accessories.
     • Questionnaire: Participants completed an anonymous questionnaire regarding their age, number of sexual partners, and age of first sexual intercourse.
  2. Attractiveness Ratings by Females:
     • A PowerPoint slideshow presented male faces to female raters.
     • Raters used a five-point Likert-type scale to rate each photograph for attractiveness.
     • To minimize fatigue, half of the photographs were presented in random order to one group of female raters, and the other half to the remaining raters (resulting in 8 females rating each photograph).
     • Raters were instructed not to rate photos of individuals they recognized. Menstrual cycle phase and use of birth control among the raters were treated as random variables.
     • Cronbach's alpha inter-rater reliability of male facial attractiveness was high (.88 for both groups of females), indicating good agreement among the raters.
• Data Analysis:
  • Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relationships between morphological measurements, survey data, and attractiveness ratings.
  • Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the unique contribution of each variable (SHR, grip strength, number of sex partners) in predicting facial attractiveness, controlling for the other variables.

III. Results: Quantitative Findings​

• Descriptive Statistics (Table 1): Provides means, standard deviations, and ranges for all variables (SHR, grip strength, number of sex partners, facial attractiveness ratings).
• Morphology and Behavior:
  • Grip Strength and SHR: A significant positive correlation (r = .381, p < .02) was found between grip strength and SHR. Males with higher SHRs had higher grip strength scores (Figure 1).
  • Grip Strength and Sexual Partners: Grip strength was also positively correlated with the number of sexual partners (r = .317, p < .05).
• Morphology and Ratings (Table 2):
  • Facial Attractiveness and Grip Strength: Males with higher grip strength scores were rated as having more attractive faces (r = .323, p < .05) (Figure 2).
  • Facial Attractiveness and SHR: Males with higher SHR were rated as having more attractive faces (r = .512, p < .01) (Figure 3). This was the strongest correlation observed.
  • Facial Attractiveness and Sexual Partners: Males who reported more sexual partners were rated as having more attractive faces (r = .360, p < .03).
• Multiple Regression (Table 3):
  • A multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the unique contributions of SHR, grip strength, and number of sex partners in predicting facial attractiveness.
  • SHR: Even when controlling for grip strength and number of sex partners, SHR remained a significant predictor of facial attractiveness (Semi-partial correlation = .39, p < .01).

IV. Discussion: Interpretation and Context​

• Summary of Key Findings:
  • Female ratings of male facial attractiveness accounted for a substantial proportion of the variance in body morphology (SHR), grip strength, and sexual behavior. Specifically, attractiveness ratings accounted for 26% of the variance in SHR.
  • The study highlights the "halo effect," where attractive faces are associated with desirable traits.
• Importance of the Neck: The authors acknowledge that the facial photographs included the neck, which might have influenced attractiveness ratings. Future work will need to determine the extent to which the neck contributes to such ratings.
• Comparison to Other Studies:
  • The findings are consistent with previous research showing a relationship between grip strength and male facial attractiveness (Fink, Neave, & Seydel, 2007).
  • The results parallel findings by Hughes et al. (2004) for voice attractiveness, where attractive voices predicted a more masculine SHR in males.
• Hormonal and Genetic Factors: The study suggests that hormonal and genetic factors play a substantial role in shaping a 'package' of characteristics that signal differences in fitness.
  • This package includes body morphology (SHR), physical strength, bilateral symmetry, vocal characteristics, and facial attractiveness.
• Generalizability to Women: While the study focused on male faces, the authors reference studies on female facial attractiveness. Evidence suggests that male ratings of female facial attractiveness are negatively correlated with WHR, supporting the notion that faces signal body features in both sexes.
• Grip Strength as a Testosterone Proxy: The study proposes that handgrip strength may serve as a reliable proxy for circulating testosterone levels in men, based on evidence showing a correlation between grip strength and testosterone.
• Handshake Implications: The authors make an interesting point about the historical and cross-cultural significance of handshakes, suggesting that grip strength may unconsciously communicate information about dominance and health.
• Limitations:
  • The photographs included the neck, which may have influenced attractiveness ratings.
  • The truncated range of values for self-reported age of first sex may have affected the magnitude of correlations involving this variable.
• Future Research: The study calls for future research to investigate the specific contribution of the neck to facial attractiveness ratings.

V. Conclusion: "What You See Is What You Get"​

The study concludes that men's faces do, to a significant extent, reflect their physical attributes, strength, and behavior, influencing female perception of attractiveness. The findings support the idea that faces contain embedded cues that signal differences in individual fitness.

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