The University of Leeds Institute of Psychological Sciences, Leeds, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e42178. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042178. Epub 2012 Jul 31.
Ornament displays seen in animals convey information about genetic quality, developmental history and current disease state to both prospective sexual partners and potential rivals. In this context, showing of teeth through smiles etc is a characteristic feature of human social interaction. Tooth development is influenced by genetic and environmental factors. Adult teeth record environmental and traumatic events, as well as the effects of disease and ageing. Teeth are therefore a rich source of information about individuals and their histories. This study examined the effects of digital manipulations of tooth colour and spacing. Results showed that deviation away from normal spacing and/or the presence of yellowed colouration had negative effects on ratings of attractiveness and that these effects were markedly stronger in female models. Whitening had no effect beyond that produced by natural colouration. This indicates that these colour induced alterations in ratings of attractiveness are mediated by increased/decreased yellowing rather than whitening per se. Teeth become yellower and darker with age. Therefore it is suggested that whilst the teeth of both sexes act as human ornament displays, the female display is more complex because it additionally signals residual reproductive value.
动物身上的装饰物可以向潜在的性伴侣和竞争对手传达有关遗传质量、发育历史和当前疾病状态的信息。在这种情况下，通过微笑等露出牙齿是人类社交互动的一个特征。牙齿的发育受遗传和环境因素的影响。恒牙记录着环境和创伤事件，以及疾病和衰老的影响。因此，牙齿是个体及其历史的丰富信息来源。本研究探讨了牙齿颜色和间距的数字化处理的影响。结果表明，偏离正常间距和/或出现泛黄颜色会对吸引力的评价产生负面影响，而且这种影响在女性模型中更为明显。美白效果并不比自然颜色产生的效果更强。这表明，这些颜色引起的吸引力评价的变化是由变黄程度的增加/减少而不是美白本身引起的。随着年龄的增长，牙齿会变得更黄、更暗。因此，虽然两性的牙齿都可以作为人类的装饰物，但女性的展示更为复杂，因为它还额外地表明了剩余的生殖价值。
