Facial attractiveness, developmental stability, and fluctuating asymmetry

Abstract

Despite robust cross-cultural reliability of human facial attractiveness ratings, research on facial attractiveness has only superficially addressed the connection between facial attractiveness and the history of sexual selection in Homo sapiens. There are reasons to believe that developmental stability and phenotypic quality are related. Recent studies of nonhuman animals indicate that developmental stability, measured as fluctuating asymmetry in generally bilateral symmetrical traits, is predictive of performance in sexual selection: Relatively symmetrical males are advantaged under sexual selection. This pattern is suggested by our study of facial attractiveness and fluctuating asymmetry in seven bilateral body traits in a student population. Overall, facial attractiveness negatively correlated with fluctuating asymmetry; the relation for men, but not for women, was statistically reliable. Possible confounding factors were controlled for in the analysis.