Articlegreen2003

Second to fourth digit ratio, testosterone and perceived male dominance

Nick Neave · Sarah Laing · Bernhard Fink · John T. Manning

305 citations0/0 files storedProceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences

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Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior Animal Behavior and Reproduction Sexual Differentiation and Disorders

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that male faces with extreme features associated with testosterone are perceived as dominant and masculine. Women have been reported to prefer more masculinized male faces as they may consider testosterone markers to be an 'honest' indication of good health, and such considerations may underlie their aesthetic preferences. However, pronounced testosterone facial markers are also associated with dominance, and several negative personality traits. This suggests that female aesthetic preferences may be an adaptive compromise between positive attributes associated with higher than average testosterone, and negative attributes associated with more extreme masculinization. This current study attempts to clarify the role of hormone markers in female perceptions of dominance, masculinity and attractiveness, in male facial images. Recent evidence suggests that the relative length of the 2nd to 4th finger (2D : 4D ratio) is a pointer to prenatal testosterone levels and may thus serve as a window to the prenatal hormonal environment. We measured 2D : 4D in a sample of male college students and took salivary samples to analyse circulating levels of testosterone. Women rated facial images of these males for dominance, masculinity and attractiveness. Our results show that male 2D : 4D was significantly negatively related to perceived dominance and masculinity but not attractiveness. Circulating testosterone levels were not related to dominance, masculinity or attractiveness. These findings suggest that: (i) high prenatal levels of testosterone serve to 'organize' male facial features to subsequently reflect dominance and masculine characteristics presumably activated during puberty; and (ii) attractiveness is not directly related to testosterone levels. We conclude that facial dominance and masculinity reflect a male's perceived status rather than his physical attraction to women.

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References

1989Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures 1998Testosterone and dominance in men 1998Effects of sexual dimorphism on facial attractiveness 1994Human (Homo sapiens) facial attractiveness and sexual selection: The role of symmetry and averageness.1999Facial attractiveness 1992Age preferences in mates reflect sex differences in human reproductive strategies 1991The influence of testosterone on human aggression 2003Darwinian aesthetics: sexual selection and the biology of beauty

Cited by

2013Telling facial metrics: facial width is associated with testosterone levels in men 2006Male facial appearance signals physical strength to women 2005Women's preference for dominant male odour: effects of menstrual cycle and relationship status 2011Geometric morphometrics of male facial shape in relation to physical strength and perceived attractiveness, dominance, and masculinity 2008Testosterone responses to competition in men are related to facial masculinity 2014Meta-Analysis of Menstrual Cycle Effects on Women’s Mate Preferences

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