Synonyms
Definition
Aspects of female appearance that are linked to perceived attractiveness and/or biologically relevant information.
Introduction
Homo sapiens is the product of an evolutionary process. Evolutionary constraints shaped our bodies, perception, cognition, preferences, and behavior. The thus evolved characteristics are still present today. From a biological viewpoint, the ability to promote the own genetic information is central. This is why cues that are linked to reproductive potential are perceived as attractive.
Preferences for attractive features can be observed from early stages in life: Babies aged 2–6 months look longer at attractive faces. This “attractivism” continues to affect our lives favoring attractive people in various contexts. Attractive pupils get better evaluations than their less attractive peers; the same holds true for students at University. In professional life, attractive people are more likely to be offered a job and higher...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
References
Cunningham, M. R. (1986). Measuring the physical in physical attractiveness: Quasi-experiments on the sociobiology of female facial beauty. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50(5), 925–935.
Grammer, K., Fink, B., Juette, A., Ronzal, G., & Thornhill, R. (2001). Female faces and bodies: N-dimensional feature space and attractiveness. In G. Rhodes & L. Zebrobwitz (Eds.), Advances in visual cognition (Facial attractiveness, Vol. I, pp. 91–125). Westport: Ablex Publishing.
Hamermesh, D. S. (2011). Beauty pays. Why attractive people are more successful. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Jones, D., Brace, C. L., Jankowiak, W., Laland, K. N., Musselman, L. E., Langlois, J. H., Roggman, L. A., Pérusse, D., Schweder, B., & Symons, D. (1995). Sexual selection, physical attractiveness, and facial neoteny: cross-cultural evidence and implications. Current Anthropology, 36(5), 723–748.
Oberzaucher, E., Schmehl, S., Holzleitner, I., Katina, S., Mehu-Blantar, I., & Grammer, K. (2012). The myth of hidden ovulation? Shape and texture changes in the face during the female cycle. Journal of Evolutionary Psychology, 10, 163–175.
Pflüger, L. S., Oberzaucher, E., Katina, S., Holzleitner, I. J., & Grammer, K. (2012). Cues to fertility: Perceived attractiveness and facial shape predict reproductive success. Evolution and Human Behavior, 33(6), 708–714.
Rikowski, A., & Grammer, K. (1999). Human body odour, symmetry and attractiveness. Proceedings of the Royal Society London B, 266, 869874.
Singh, D., & Young, R. K. (1995). Body weight, waist-to-hip ratio, breasts, and hips: Role in judgments of female attractiveness and desirability for relationships. Ethology and Sociobiology, 16, 483–507.
Thornhill, R., & Gangestad, S. W. (1993). Human facial beauty. Human Nature, 4(3), 237–269.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this entry
Cite this entry
Oberzaucher, E. (2016). Evolutionary Standards of Female Attractiveness. In: Weekes-Shackelford, V., Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_4-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_4-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences