The Importance of Facial Features and Their Spatial Organization for Attractiveness is Modulated by Gender

Many studies suggest that facial attractiveness signals mate quality. Fewer studies argue that the preference criteria emerge as a by-product of cortical processes. One way or the other, preference criteria should not be necessarily identical between female and male observers because either their preferences may have different evolutionary roles or they may even be due to known differences in visiospatial skills and brain function lateralization (ie, advantages favoring males' inability to determine spatial relations despite distracting information). The goal of this study was to assess sex differences in face attractiveness judgments by estimating the importance of facial features and their spatial organization. To this end, semipartial correlations were measured between intact-face preferences and preferences based on specific facial parts (eyes, nose, mouth, and hairstyle) or preferences based more on configuration (as reflected by low spatial frequency images). The results show strategy modulations by both observers' and faces' genders. In general, the association between intact-face preferences and parts-based preferences was significantly higher for female compared with male participants. For female faces, males' preferences were more strongly associated with their low spatial frequency preferences than were those of females. The two genders' strategies were more similar when judging male faces, and males performed more criteria modifications across face gender. The similarities between sexes regarding male faces are in line with previous studies that showed higher assignment of importance among men to attractiveness. Moreover, the results may suggest that men adjust their strategy to assess the danger of other males as potential rivals for mates