General Psychology Article Review
Over the years, psychologists have become interested in the relationship between facial attractiveness and skin condition, particularly texture, color, and symmetry of the face. The purpose of this study was to survey a random sample of male participants and ask them to rate the attractiveness of many computer-generated images of women’s faces. The ratings assigned by these men were to be evaluated after the procedure to determine the relationship between skin appearance and perceived beauty. Based on studies of the past, psychologists hypothesized that females with a fair, smooth complexion would be considered more attractive than those with darker, uneven skintones. They also expected to find that symmetry would be positively correlated with attractiveness.
Scientists tested a group of fifty four Caucasian male volunteers from the University of Vienna in Austria. Half of the men viewed and rated images of twenty Caucasian women between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five which were altered by a computer to display a distortion of the normal face, while the other group rated nearly identical images that were not altered by graphic editing software. Participants were not informed of the purpose of the study, but were asked to rate each image on a scale ranging from one to seven in ten different categories, only one of which was used in the collection of data because it asked about the attractiveness of the photographed individual. Some images given to the experimental group were altered in hue, to test whether a rosier complexion was considered more attractive than a green or blue tinted complexion. Also, some images were altered pixel by pixel to give a slight appearance of an uneven or unhealthy skin complexion. Finally, some images were digitally altered to determine if symmetry of facial features was indeed positively correlated with attractiveness.
The results of this experiment agreed with some parts of the hypothesis, but were not able to provide significant data to prove all propositions of the research team. For example, psychologists discovered a positive correlation between a homogenous complexion and attractiveness. Facial images which appeared to have unhealthy skin or facial hair were rated low by the panel in attractiveness. It is suggested by researchers that healthy skin can be equated with a healthy immune system, which may lead males to unknowingly be more attracted to purportedly healthy females when looking for a mate. Although complexion proved to play a role in facial attractiveness, symmetry of facial features did not have a significant impact. Skin color and hue alteration provided surprising results. The research team found that green and blue were negatively correlated with attractiveness, and red was positively correlated with facial beauty. However, darker skin was preferred to lighter-skinned facial images, which disagreed with the findings of Van den Berghe and Frost in the 1980’s.
I think this article had some interesting points, and the experiment was well-designed to eliminate the chance of inaccurate results. I was surprised that darker skin was preferred to lighter skin by the panel, disproving earlier hypotheses. Reading the results of this study made me aware that people unconsciously form opinions about other people by appearance. I think we should strive to be conscious of our biases and not allow them to control our judgment of the populace.
