Biographical information influences on facial attractiveness judgment.

Abstract

In the realm of social cognition, facial perception is crucial, particularly in assessing facial attractiveness. This study investigated how biographical information impacts such evaluations. Two experiments were conducted: the first had participants rate 108 faces with and without biographical details, including occupation, psychiatric history, and politics. The second used fMRI to identify brain regions reacting differently with biographical information. Results showed that 31.48% of cases exhibited significant variations in facial evaluations when biographical information was introduced. The fMRI experiment highlighted heightened activity in the left Inferior Frontal Gyrus (IFG) and the left Middle Temporal Gyrus (MTG) when assessing facial attractiveness with biographical information, especially related to occupation or psychiatric history as opposed to politics. In summary, incorporating biographical information can substantially alter perceptions of facial attractiveness, engaging specific brain regions like the left IFG and left MTG. The results of this study could have significant implications for the understanding of social cognition and, among other aspects, for the destigmatization of personal histories in the field of mental health.