Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
Volume/Issue:
Volume 9: Issue 1
A longitudinal study of adolescents’ judgments of the attractiveness of facial symmetry, averageness and sexual dimorphism
Authors:
Tamsin K. Saxton School of Social and Health Sciences, University of Abertay Dundee, Dundee, UK
School of Social and Health Sciences, University of Abertay Dundee, Kydd Building, Bell Street, Dundee, DD1 1HG, UK

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Lisa M. Debruine School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

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Benedict C. Jones School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

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Anthony C. Little Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK

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S. Craig Roberts Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK

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Pages:
43–55
Online Publication Date:
01 Mar 2011
Publication Date:
01 Mar 2011
Article Category:
Research Article
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1556/jep.9.2011.22.1
Keywords:
adolescence; face attractiveness judgments; facial averageness; facial sexual dimorphism; facial symmetry
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Abstract

Adolescents have been found to differ by age in their attraction to facial symmetry, averageness, and sexual dimorphism. However, it has not been demonstrated that attraction to these facial characters changes over time as a consequence of age-linked development. We aimed to extend previous cross-sectional findings by examining whether facial attractiveness judgments change over time during adolescence as a consequence of increasing age, in a within-subjects study of two cohorts of adolescents aged 11–16. Consistent with previous findings, we find that adolescents (often particularly females) judged faces with increased averageness, symmetry and femininity to be more attractive than original, asymmetric and masculine faces, respectively. However, we do not find longitudinal changes in face preference judgments across the course of a year, leading us to question the extent to which some of the previously reported differences in facial attractiveness judgments between younger and older adolescents were due to age-linked changes.

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Cover Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
Journal of Evolutionary Psychology
Print ISSN:
1789-2082
Online ISSN:
2060-5587

Journal of Evolutionary Psychology 
Language English
Size  
Year of
Foundation		 2007 (2003)
Publication
Programme		 changed title
Volumes
per Year		  
Issues
per Year		  
Founder Akadémiai Kiadó
Founder's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Publisher Akadémiai Kiadó
Publisher's
Address		 H-1117 Budapest, Hungary 1516 Budapest, PO Box 245.
Responsible
Publisher		 Chief Executive Officer, Akadémiai Kiadó
ISSN 1789-2082 (Print)
ISSN 2060-5587 (Online)

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