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How Well Do Men’s Faces and Voices Index Mate Quality and Dominance?

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Abstract

Previous studies have used self-ratings or strangers’ ratings to assess men’s attractiveness and dominance, attributes that have likely affected men’s access to mates throughout human evolution. However, attractiveness and dominance include more than isolated impressions; they incorporate knowledge gained through social interaction. We tested whether dominance and attractiveness assessed by acquaintances can be predicted from (1) strangers’ ratings made from facial photographs and vocal clips and (2) self-ratings. Two university social fraternities, their socially affiliated sororities, and independent raters evaluated men’s short- and long-term attractiveness, fighting ability, and leadership ability. Ratings made by unfamiliar men using faces, but not voices, predicted acquaintance-rated fighting and leadership ability, whereas ratings made by unfamiliar women from faces and voices predicted acquaintance-rated short- and long-term attractiveness. Except for leadership, self-ratings aligned with peers’ evaluations. These findings support the conclusion that faces and voices provide valuable information about dominance and mate quality.

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Acknowledgement

We thank Roy Baker, Scott Boren, Jay Bundy, Robert Burriss, Valentina Ceccarelli, Joanna Colgan, Chelsey Culbert, Nate Davis, Helen Geleskie, Beck Graefe, Jeffrey Krystek, Luke Lolla, Ashley Matz, Coralie McEachron, Leela McKinnon, Jessica Pavliska, Diana Rosa-Leyra, Mark Shriver, Kevin Singh, and Andrew Vrabel.

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  1. Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Leslie M. Doll, Alexander K. Hill, Michelle A. Rotella, Lisa L. M. Welling, John R. Wheatley & David A. Puts

  2. Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Rodrigo A. Cárdenas

  3. Center for Behavior, Brain, and Cognition, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    David A. Puts

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  1. Leslie M. Doll
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  2. Alexander K. Hill
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  3. Michelle A. Rotella
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  5. Lisa L. M. Welling
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  7. David A. Puts
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Correspondence to David A. Puts.

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Doll, L.M., Hill, A.K., Rotella, M.A. et al. How Well Do Men’s Faces and Voices Index Mate Quality and Dominance?. Hum Nat 25, 200–212 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12110-014-9194-3

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