Preference for Facial Self-Resemblance and Attractiveness in Human Mate Choice

Abstract

Empirical studies present considerably consistent data about human mate choice, from which we may infer that it tends to be homogamous for various traits. However, different experiments on facial resemblance led to contradictory results. To obtain additional data about the preference for self-resembling potential mates, male and female composite faces were modified in a manner to resemble subjects. Volunteers were asked to choose a potential partner from three images in different situations: self-resembling faces, non-resembling faces (both with the same degree of other-rated attractiveness), and images which were rated by others as more attractive than the self-resembling faces. Women did not show any preference for similarity; they preferred the most attractive male and female faces. In contrast, men preferred the most attractive images of the opposite sex to self-resembling faces and the self-resembling to non-resembling faces. The self-resemblance of same-sex faces was preferred by neither men nor women. Our results support the hypothesis that both facial similarity (i.e., cues of shared genes) and observer-independent features of attractiveness (i.e., honest signals of genetic quality) play an important role in males' mate choice. The lack of choice for self-resemblance on the female side in this particular study might reflect their more complex decision-making rules that are probably based on other cues beside visual stimuli.

Medial Cortical Structures Mediate Implicit Trustworthiness Judgments about Kin Faces, but Not Familiar Faces: A Brief Report

“…Self-face resemblance has been shown to increase ratings of attractiveness and trust [13,57,58]. The current findings extend these behavioral studies by showing that the affectively regulated prosocial behavior toward self-resembling faces is mediated by proximate neural substrates located in the medial portions of the cortex that respond parametrically to implicit social judgements about actual faces of kin.…”

Men’s Preference for Women’s Facial Features: Testing Homogamy and the Paternity Uncertainty Hypothesis

“…Although many dimensions comprise facial attractiveness, only two have been controlled for in experiment 1 (overall femininity and symmetry). Men have been previously demonstrated to prefer the most attractive female faces rather than self-resembling ones, although when attractiveness was controlled for, the self-resembling faces were preferred [49]. This probably explains the discrepancy between the results of Study 1 (where two attractiveness components were statistically controlled for) and Study 2 (where all attractiveness components were experimentally controlled for).…”

The impact of attachment on preschool children's preference for parent-resembling faces — A possible link to sexual imprinting

“…In that sense, though resemblance to father, for instance, may be more easily detected in male faces, it is basically irrelevant whether the seen face is a same-sex or an opposite-sex face; it is only the actual degree of resemblance that matters. This emphasis on learning and simple perceptional processes can give rise to novel accounts of similarity-driven face preferences (such as preference for self-face; see KOCSOR et al 2011).…”