Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Nov 20;11(5):1044-58.
doi: 10.1177/147470491301100508.

Male facial masculinity as a cue to health outcomes

Affiliations

Male facial masculinity as a cue to health outcomes

Lynda G Boothroyd et al. Evol Psychol. .

Abstract

Evolutionary theories of human attraction draw heavily upon nonhuman literature, and currently the Immunocompetence Handicap Hypothesis dominates research into female attraction to male facial masculinity. Although some studies have shown links between masculinity and some measures of health, other data have failed to support the Immunocompetence Hypothesis as applied to human face preferences. Here we summarize that literature and present new data regarding links between masculinity and multiple measures of health condition in human males. Undergraduate males were photographed and their faces were assessed for sexual dimorphism using multiple methods and rated for apparent healthiness and attractiveness. Participants also reported recent health experiences both prior to being photographed and then again 10 weeks later. Although both attractiveness and rated health were associated with better actual health in the past and future (mainly indexed by lower antibiotic use), results were mixed for masculinity. With respect to respiratory illnesses, facial masculinity (assessed using morphometric techniques) was associated with better past health but with worse future health. Possible reasons for the complex and inconsistent findings are discussed and some potentially fruitful avenues of future research are outlined.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The immune system as described by Muehlenbein and Bribiescas (2005)
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Face shape change associated with moving from low (red) to high (blue) scores on the morphometric masculinity index

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Adamo S. A. (2004). How should behavioral ecologists interpret measurements of immunity? Animal Behaviour, 68, 1443–1449.
    1. Adamo S. A., and Spiteri R. J. (2009). He's healthy, but will he survive the plague? Possible constraints on mate choice for disease resistance. Animal Behaviour, 77, 67–78.
    1. Archer J. (2006). Testosterone and human aggression: An evaluation of the challenge hypothesis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 30, 319–345. - PubMed
    1. Bhasin S., Storer T. W., Javanbakht M., Berman N., Yarasheski K. E., Phillips J. and Beall G. (2000). Testosterone replacement and resistance exercise in HIV-infected men with weight loss and low testosterone levels. Journal of the American Medical Association, 283, 763–770. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boothroyd L. G., Jones B. C., Burt D. M., and Perrett D. I. (2007). Partner characteristics associated with masculinity, health, and maturity in male faces. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 1161–1173.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources