Attractiveness of Own-Race, Other-Race, and Mixed-Race Faces

Abstract

Averaged face composites, which represent the central tendency of a familiar population of faces, are attractive. If this prototypicality contributes to their appeal, then averaged composites should be more attractive when their component faces come from a familiar, own-race population than when they come from a less familiar, other-race population. We compared the attractiveness of own-race composites, other-race composites, and mixed-race composites (where the component faces were from both races). In experiment 1, Caucasian participants rated own-race composites as more attractive than other-race composites, but only for male faces. However, mixed-race (Caucasian/Japanese) composites were significantly more attractive than own-race composites, particularly for the opposite sex. In experiment 2, Caucasian and Japanese participants living in Australia and Japan, respectively, selected the most attractive face from a continuum with exaggerated Caucasian characteristics at one end and exaggerated Japanese characteristics at the other, with intervening images including a Caucasian averaged composite, a mixed-race averaged composite, and a Japanese averaged composite. The most attractive face was, again, a mixed-race composite, for both Caucasian and Japanese participants. In experiment 3, Caucasian participants rated individual Eurasian faces as significantly more attractive than either Caucasian or Asian faces. Similar results were obtained with composites. Eurasian faces and composites were also rated as healthier than Caucasian or Asian faces and composites, respectively. These results suggest that signs of health may be more important than prototypicality in making average faces attractive.

Mixed-Ethnicity Face Shape and Attractiveness in Humans

“…In our images only shape was manipulated in the faces and other factors were held constant. Given cross-cultural differences in skin colour preferences (Lewis et al 2011), changing both shape and colour is a potential issue for the only other previous study showing preferences for mixed ethnicity in manipulated faces (Rhodes et al 2005).…”

“…In other words, there remains a question of whether preferences for mixed-ethnicity faces reflect pressures to simply select attractive mates, which may be influenced by heterozygosity, or whether cues to heterozygosity are themselves attractive. Rhodes et al (2005) also demonstrated that artificially manipulated faces that possessed mixed-ethnicity shape and colour were more attractive than faces belonging to a single ethnicity by presenting computer images varying along a continuum between European and Asian. This suggests mixed-ethnicity faces are preferred when controlling for any direct increase in attractiveness due to genetic diversity.…”

“…Individuals from other populations are more likely to possess different genes than those from the same population, although genetic differences may be relatively small (Jorde and Wooding 2004). There is limited work in this area; however, two studies have addressed preferences for individuals from the same or different populations, with a focus on whether individuals of mixed race are particularly attractive (Lewis 2010;Rhodes et al 2005). These studies use the term "race" to refer to the physical differences in facial appearance visible between human populations and cultures, and to classify individuals as belonging to different populations and cultures.…”

“…Work using facial manipulations can directly examine effects that are to do with perception as they are control for the effects of heterozygosity itself on facial appearance. One previous study using manipulations has examined individuals of Asian versus European decent demonstrating mixed-ethnicity preferences (Rhodes et al 2005).…”

“…Both Rhodes et al (2005) and Lewis (2010) found that images of individuals identified as mixed ethnicity were rated as more attractive than those of individuals who were predominantly identified as belonging to one ethnic grouping. Rhodes et al (2005) examined individuals with Asian, European, and mixed Asian-European backgrounds, though the sample size was small, while Lewis (2010) examined male and female individuals with African, Caucasian, and mixed African-Caucasian backgrounds, and with a large sample size. Mixed-ethnicity faces then appear attractive across studies, across sex of face, and across different mixtures of populations.…”