Rhodes Gillian, Chan Janelle, Zebrowitz Leslie A, Simmons Leigh W
School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia.
Proc Biol Sci. 2003 Aug 7;270 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S93-5. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2003.0023.
Evolutionary psychologists suggest that a preference for sexually dimorphic traits in human faces is an adaptation for mate choice, because such traits reflect health during development. For male faces, this claim rests on the immunocompetence-handicap hypothesis, which states that the increased testosterone levels needed to develop large masculine traits stress the immune system. We examined whether masculine traits in adolescent male faces are associated with health during development, and also whether feminine traits in adolescent female faces signal health. Feminine traits are attractive, but it is less clear whether they should signal health. Rated masculinity in adolescent male faces correlated modestly with actual health, and was perceived as healthy, but not as attractive. Rated femininity in adolescent female faces did not correlate with actual health, although it was perceived as healthy and attractive. These results support the immunocompetence-handicap hypothesis for male faces in that masculine traits signalled health during adolescence. However, they suggest that any health-related evolutionary benefits obtained from preferences for attractive facial traits may be weak.
进化心理学家认为，人类对面部两性异形特征的偏好是一种择偶适应，因为这些特征反映了发育过程中的健康状况。对于男性面部而言，这一观点基于免疫能力缺陷假说，该假说认为，发育出大型男性化特征所需的睾酮水平升高会给免疫系统带来压力。我们研究了青少年男性面部的男性化特征是否与发育过程中的健康状况相关，以及青少年女性面部的女性化特征是否表明健康。女性化特征很有吸引力，但它们是否应表明健康则不太明确。青少年男性面部的男性化评分与实际健康状况有适度关联，且被认为是健康的，但并不具有吸引力。青少年女性面部的女性化评分与实际健康状况并无关联，尽管它被认为是健康且有吸引力的。这些结果支持了男性面部的免疫能力缺陷假说，即男性化特征在青春期表明健康。然而，它们表明，从对面部吸引人特征的偏好中获得的任何与健康相关的进化益处可能都很微弱。
