Oestrogen Levels Translate Into Facial Attractiveness

[Gil]

By University of St Andrews, UK,

Scientists have found that a woman’s hormones relate to how attractive she is. The researchers at the University of St Andrews, found that women with higher levels of the female sex hormone, oestrogen, have more attractive looking faces.

The new study, led by psychologist Miriam Law Smith, could explain the underlying reason why men prefer women with feminine faces. It is the first study to demonstrate that women’s facial appearance is linked to their underlying health because oestrogen is the hormone which impacts on women’s reproductive health and fertility. These effects on appearance are likely to depend on the action of oestrogen throughout puberty.

Law Smith and a team of psychologists at the University’s Perception Lab photographed 59 young women’s faces aged between 18 and 25 and analysed their sex hormone levels. Women with higher levels of oestrogen were rated as more attractive, healthy and feminine looking than those with lower levels. Composite faces of the 10 women with highest (left) and 10 with lowest (right) levels of oestrogen. Credit: www.perceptionlab.com

Interestingly, no relationship between appearance and oestrogen was found in women wearing make-up. Researchers believe that while make-up improves facial appearance it may be masking cues normally seen in the face.

Law Smith said: “Women are effectively advertising their general fertility with their faces. Our findings could explain why men universally seem to prefer feminine women’s faces. In evolutionary terms, it makes sense for men to favour feminine fertile women, those that did would have had more babies.”

Manji's Note: I prefer the one on the left, with the less pronounced jaw...

[Agrippa]

10 is a bit low, they should have used a greater sample. Though the left one looks more reduced, I have to say I would prefer left as well, but as I said, differences by chance unrelated to the main sexual type differences might have played in as well in such small samples.

[Gil]

The samples are composites of the 10 women with highest oestrogen levels and 10 lowest. The remaining test subjects of course were left outside. It would make 20 women out of 59 tested, which in my opinion is a good number to make the composite images.

[Agrippa]

Originally Posted by Manji

The samples are composites of the 10 women with highest oestrogen levels and 10 lowest. The remaining test subjects of course were left outside. It would make 20 women out of 59 tested, which in my opinion is a good number to make the composite images.

I understood how they selected, but still I think 10 is for the composite image rather low, though the result is still (generally) convincing.

[George]

The right woman is clearly a higher breed, with her long face and lighter pigmentation. I prefer her with some regret. Facial attractiveness is complex, with many elements in the same band of importance. This is interesting. Like seeks like in faces as elsewhere I think.

[Gil]

Originally Posted by George

The right woman is clearly a higher breed, with her long face and lighter pigmentation

Hmmm... mmmmmk. So, longer face and lighter pigmentation = "higher breed"....

oh gods, this is just hilarious.

[Thelxion]

Sorry for reviving this very old thread. I'm wondering whether there is a correlation between mothers with high levels of female hormones and sons with high levels of male hormones.