Trustworthy but not lust-worthy: context-specific effects of facial resemblance.

ABSTRACT: If humans are sensitive to the costs and benefits of favouring kin in different circumstances, a strong prediction is that cues of relatedness will have a positive effect on prosocial feelings, but a negative effect on sexual attraction. Indeed, positive effects of facial resemblance (a potential cue of kinship) have been demonstrated in prosocial contexts. Alternatively, such effects may be owing to a general preference for familiar stimuli. Here, I show that subtly manipulated images of other-sex faces were judged as more trustworthy by the participants they were made to resemble than by control participants. In contrast, the effects of resemblance on attractiveness were significantly lower. In the context of a long-term relationship, where both prosocial regard and sexual appeal are imp

SUBMITTER: DeBruine LM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1564091 | biostudies-literature | 2005 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature