How and why patterns of sexual dimorphism in human faces vary across the world.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional comparative study of facial morphometrics and preferences across human populations (graded by design analogy).
PubMed 33727579 · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-85402-3
What was done
Researchers evaluated patterns of facial shape sexual dimorphism and facial preferences across diverse human populations (including European, South American, and African groups). They assessed whether observed dimorphism patterns could be explained by cross-cultural shape variation, sex differences in body height, or preferences for facial femininity and masculinity, distinguishing between allometric (size-related) and non-allometric shape components.
What was found
The abstract does not provide specific numerical statistics. It reports that European and South American populations demonstrated higher levels of facial sexual dimorphism than African populations. These population-level variations were not explained by height differences, overall facial shape variation, or cross-country preference differences. The relationship between sexual shape dimorphism and attractiveness was moderate for women and weak or absent for men, with non-allometric dimorphism preferred specifically in women's faces.
Why it matters
The findings challenge simple mate-choice evolutionary models by showing that facial sexual dimorphism varies geographically and does not uniformly predict attractiveness, particularly in men.
Limits
The abstract does not report the total sample size, number of populations or countries, or specific demographic details. As an observational, cross-sectional analysis of preference and morphometrics, it cannot directly measure evolutionary fitness or historical selection pressures.
Cited by
- context Hypermasculinized male faces are less attractive to women than average or slightly feminized male faces.