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More than just a pretty face? The relationship between immune function and perceived facial attractiveness.

Authors :
Mengelkoch, Summer
Gassen, Jeff
Prokosch, Marjorie L.
Boehm, Gary W.
Hill, Sarah E.
Source :
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 2/23/2022, Vol. 289 Issue 1969, p1-10. 10p.
Publication Year :
2022

Abstract

It has long been hypothesized that attractiveness provides a cue to a target's health and immunocompetence. However, much of the research testing this hypothesis has relied on a small number of indirect proxies of immune function, and the results of this research have been mixed. Here, we build on this past research, examining the relationship between target attractiveness and (i) self-reported health, (ii) in vivo measures of inflammation and white blood cell count/composition, and (iii) in vitro tests of targets' immune function, including (c1) leucocyte proliferation in response to immunological stimulants, (c2) phagocytosis of Escherichia coli bioparticles, (c3) NK cellmediated lysis of target tumour cells, and (c4) Staphylococcus aureus growth in isolated plasma. Results revealed multiple, sometimes sex-differentiated, relationships between targets' immune function and others' perceptions of their attractiveness. Together, this work suggests complex, often sex-differentiated relationships between immune function, health, and attractiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
09628452
Volume :
289
Issue :
1969
Database :
Academic Search Index
Journal :
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
155512861
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.2476