Women's preferences for men's facial masculinity are strongest under favorable ecological conditions

doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39350-8

. 2019 Mar 4;9(1):3387.

doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39350-8.

Women's preferences for men's facial masculinity are strongest under favorable ecological conditions

Urszula M Marcinkowska^{1

2}, Markus J Rantala², Anthony J Lee³, Mikhail V Kozlov², Toivo Aavik⁴, Huajian Cai⁵, Jorge Contreras-Garduño⁶, Oana A David⁷, Gwenaël Kaminski^{8

9}, Norman P Li¹⁰, Ike E Onyishi¹¹, Keshav Prasai¹², Farid Pazhoohi¹³, Pavol Prokop^{14

15}, Sandra L Rosales Cardozo¹⁶, Nicolle Sydney¹⁷, Hirokazu Taniguchi¹⁸, Indrikis Krams^{19

20

21}, Barnaby J W Dixson²²

Affiliations

¹ Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
² Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
³ Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
⁴ Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Turku, Estonia.
⁵ Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.
⁶ ENES campus Morelia, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico city, Mexico.
⁷ Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
⁸ CLLE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UT2J, Toulouse, 31058, France.
⁹ Institut Universitaire de France, 103 boulevard Saint-Michel, 75005 Paris, France.
¹⁰ School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, Singapore, Singapore.
¹¹ Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
¹² Uniglobe H.S.S/College, Kathmandu, Nepal.
¹³ Department of Basic Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
¹⁴ Department of Biology, Trnava University, Trnava, Slovakia.
¹⁵ Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
¹⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Ibague, Department of Psychology, New York, Colombia.
¹⁷ Department of Zoology, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil.
¹⁸ Department of Educational Psychology, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
¹⁹ Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
²⁰ Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
²¹ Department of Biotechnology, Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia.
²² School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. b.dixson@uq.edu.au.

PMID: 30833635
PMCID: PMC6399235
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39350-8

Women's preferences for men's facial masculinity are strongest under favorable ecological conditions

Urszula M Marcinkowska et al. Sci Rep. 2019.

. 2019 Mar 4;9(1):3387.

doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39350-8.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
² Department of Biology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
³ Division of Psychology, University of Stirling, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
⁴ Institute of Psychology, University of Tartu, Turku, Estonia.
⁵ Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.
⁶ ENES campus Morelia, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico city, Mexico.
⁷ Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
⁸ CLLE, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, UT2J, Toulouse, 31058, France.
⁹ Institut Universitaire de France, 103 boulevard Saint-Michel, 75005 Paris, France.
¹⁰ School of Social Sciences, Singapore Management University, Singapore, Singapore.
¹¹ Department of Psychology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
¹² Uniglobe H.S.S/College, Kathmandu, Nepal.
¹³ Department of Basic Psychology, School of Psychology, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal.
¹⁴ Department of Biology, Trnava University, Trnava, Slovakia.
¹⁵ Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
¹⁶ Department of Psychology, University of Ibague, Department of Psychology, New York, Colombia.
¹⁷ Department of Zoology, Federal University of Parana, Curitiba, Brazil.
¹⁸ Department of Educational Psychology, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan.
¹⁹ Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
²⁰ Department of Zoology and Animal Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Latvia, Riga, Latvia.
²¹ Department of Biotechnology, Daugavpils University, Daugavpils, Latvia.
²² School of Psychology, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. b.dixson@uq.edu.au.

PMID: 30833635
PMCID: PMC6399235
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39350-8

Abstract

The strength of sexual selection on secondary sexual traits varies depending on prevailing economic and ecological conditions. In humans, cross-cultural evidence suggests women's preferences for men's testosterone dependent masculine facial traits are stronger under conditions where health is compromised, male mortality rates are higher and economic development is higher. Here we use a sample of 4483 exclusively heterosexual women from 34 countries and employ mixed effects modelling to test how social, ecological and economic variables predict women's facial masculinity preferences. We report women's preferences for more masculine looking men are stronger in countries with higher sociosexuality and where national health indices and human development indices are higher, while no associations were found between preferences and indices of intra-sexual competition. Our results show that women's preferences for masculine faces are stronger under conditions where offspring survival is higher and economic conditions are more favorable.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Figure 1**
The association between country health/development factor and masculinity preference. Points represent the mean proportion that the masculine face was chosen for individuals in each country, with bars around points representing the 95% confidence interval of the mean. The regression line shows the regression line between average proportion of trials in which masculine faces were chosen for each country and country health/development. The shaded areas around the regression line are 95% confidence intervals. The country abbreviations in the figure are as follows: AU = Australia; BR = Brazil; CA = Canada; CH = Switzerland; CN = China; CO = Colombia; CZ = Czechia; DE = Germany; EE = Estonia; ES = Spain; FI = Finland; FR = France; GB = United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; HR = Croatia; IR = Iran; IT = Italy; JP = Japan; MX = Mexico; MY = Malaysia; NG = Nigeria; NL = Netherlands; NP = Nepal; NZ = New Zealand; LV = Latvia; PL = Poland; PT = Portugal; RO = Romania; RU = Russia; SA = Saudi Arabia; SE = Sweden; SG = Singapore; SK = Slovakia; TR = Turkey; US = United States of America.

**Figure 2**
The association between country health/development and sociosexual orientation. Points represent the mean SOI score for individuals in each country, with bars around points representing the 95% confidence interval of the mean. The regression line is the regression line between sociosexual orientation and country health/development. The shaded areas around the regression line are 95% confidence intervals. The country abbreviations in the figure are as follows: AU = Australia; BR = Brazil; CA = Canada; CH = Switzerland; CN = China; CO = Colombia; CZ = Czechia; DE = Germany; EE = Estonia; ES = Spain; FI = Finland; FR = France; GB = United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; HR = Croatia; IR = Iran; IT = Italy; JP = Japan; MX = Mexico; MY = Malaysia; NG = Nigeria; NL = Netherlands; NP = Nepal; NZ = New Zealand; LV = Latvia; PL = Poland; PT = Portugal; RO = Romania; RU = Russia; SA = Saudi Arabia; SE = Sweden; SG = Singapore; SK = Slovakia; TR = Turkey; US = United States of America.

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References

1. Kokko H, Jennions MD, Brooks RC. Unifying and testing models of sexual selection. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. S. 2006;37:43–66.
1. Puts DA. Beauty and the beast: mechanisms of sexual selection in humans. Evol. Hum. Behav. 2010;31:157–175.
1. Jennions MD, Petrie M. Variation in mate choice and mating preferences: a review of causes and consequences. Biol. Rev. 1997;72:283–327. - PubMed
1. Dixson AF, Dixson BJ, Anderson MJ. Sexual selection and the evolution of visually conspicuous sexually dimorphic traits in male monkeys, apes, and human beings. Ann. Rev. Sex. Res. 2005;16:1–17. - PubMed
1. Grueter CC, Isler K, Dixson BJ. Are primate badges of status adaptive in large groups? Evol. Hum. Behav. 2015;36:398–406.

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[1] Kokko H, Jennions MD, Brooks RC. Unifying and testing models of sexual selection. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. S. 2006;37:43–66.

[2] Kokko H, Jennions MD, Brooks RC. Unifying and testing models of sexual selection. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. S. 2006;37:43–66.

[3] Puts DA. Beauty and the beast: mechanisms of sexual selection in humans. Evol. Hum. Behav. 2010;31:157–175.

[4] Puts DA. Beauty and the beast: mechanisms of sexual selection in humans. Evol. Hum. Behav. 2010;31:157–175.

[5] Jennions MD, Petrie M. Variation in mate choice and mating preferences: a review of causes and consequences. Biol. Rev. 1997;72:283–327. - PubMed

[6] Jennions MD, Petrie M. Variation in mate choice and mating preferences: a review of causes and consequences. Biol. Rev. 1997;72:283–327. - PubMed

[7] Dixson AF, Dixson BJ, Anderson MJ. Sexual selection and the evolution of visually conspicuous sexually dimorphic traits in male monkeys, apes, and human beings. Ann. Rev. Sex. Res. 2005;16:1–17. - PubMed

[8] Dixson AF, Dixson BJ, Anderson MJ. Sexual selection and the evolution of visually conspicuous sexually dimorphic traits in male monkeys, apes, and human beings. Ann. Rev. Sex. Res. 2005;16:1–17. - PubMed

[9] Grueter CC, Isler K, Dixson BJ. Are primate badges of status adaptive in large groups? Evol. Hum. Behav. 2015;36:398–406.

[10] Grueter CC, Isler K, Dixson BJ. Are primate badges of status adaptive in large groups? Evol. Hum. Behav. 2015;36:398–406.

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Women's preferences for men's facial masculinity are strongest under favorable ecological conditions

Affiliations

Women's preferences for men's facial masculinity are strongest under favorable ecological conditions

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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