ANT-2301 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Koinophilia, Signalling Theory, Androstadienone
Document Summary
Regardless of cultural affinities, there are general biological correlations with facial attractiveness. Fa indicated developmental stability in the presence of environmental and genetic challenges, therefore provides a possible indicator of health and fertility. Low fa (symmetrical) males report more sexual partners, more offspring, earlier age of losing virginity (thornhill & gangstead 1994) Women whose partners have low fa report more orgasms (thornhill et al 1995) Males low fa rated as more attractive, healthy, sexy (grammer & thornhill. Measured degree of facial asymmetry in students. High fa males= less attractive, emotionally unstable, less intelligent. Faces created by combining individual faces into composites are viewed as more attractive than the individual faces. Female composite faces were judged as more attractive than the individual photos. When sexual creatures seek a mate, they prefer the mate not to have any unusual, peculiar, deviant features. Levels of testosterone/estrogen affect a number of facial features that can be used as honest signals of health and genetics.
