It has been suggested that in threatening environments, both women and men should prefer more masculine men as romantic and coalition partners, respectively. Empirical evidence for this hypothesis has been weak or inconsistent, primarily because most experimental research has focused on elevating the perceived danger from other men through virtual threats. This study investigates whether personal experience with violence predicts the preference for masculine features in 326 Senegalese participants presented with pairs of manipulated facial photographs of West African men (one more feminine, one more masculine) and asked to indicate which face is more attractive (to women) or more trustworthy (to men). The findings reveal a strong association between violence exposure and facial feature preferences. Those who experienced (particularly physical) violence showed a higher preference for masculinized faces (up to 95% in women, 82% in men) compared to the baseline (57% in women, 63% in men). This difference is proposed to reflect an adaptive strategy of prioritizing physical protection in settings with a higher incidence of violent confrontations. Much of the variance can be found between groups. The direct effect of experienced violence diminishes over time, which suggests a dynamic interplay between innate predispositions and environmental influences on aesthetic preferences.

• Keywords
• attractiveness, contextual preferences, evolutionary psychology, facial masculinity, trustworthiness, violence exposure,
• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Masculinity * MeSH
• Face * MeSH
• Exposure to Violence * psychology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Adolescent MeSH
• Young Adult MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Senegal MeSH

Sex-typicality displayed as sexual dimorphism of the human face is a key feature enabling sex recognition. It is also believed to be a cue for perceiving biological quality and it plays an important role in the perception of attractiveness. Sexual dimorphism of human faces has two main components: sexual shape dimorphism of various facial features and sexual color dimorphism, generally manifested as dimorphism of skin luminance, where men tend to be darker than women. However, very little is known about the mutual relationship of these two facets. We explored the interconnection between the dimorphism of face shape and dimorphism of face color in three visually distinct populations (Cameroonian, Czech, and Vietnamese). Our results indicated that populations which showed a significant dimorphism in skin luminance (Cameroon, Vietnam) had low levels of sexual shape dimorphism, while a population with higher levels of sexual shape dimorphism (Czech Republic) did not exhibit a significant dimorphism of skin luminance. These findings suggest a possible compensatory mechanism between various domains of sexual dimorphism in populations differing in the levels of shape and color dimorphism.

• Keywords
• Facial contrast, Sex typicality, Sexual shape dimorphism, Skin color,
• MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Face * anatomy & histology   MeSH
• Skin Pigmentation * MeSH
• Sex Characteristics * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Vietnam MeSH

Previous research has demonstrated that Maasai and Europeans tend to align in their ratings of the physical strength and aggressiveness of Maasai male faces, calibrated to hand grip strength (HGS). However, perceptions of attractiveness of these faces differed among populations. In this study, three morphs of young Maasai men created by means of geometric morphometrics, and depicting the average sample and two extrema (± 4 SD of HGS), were assessed by men and women from Tanzania, Czech Republic, Russia, Pakistan, China, and Mexico (total sample = 1540). The aim of this study was to test cross-cultural differences in the perception of young Maasai men's composites calibrated to HGS, focusing on four traits: physical strength, attractiveness, aggressiveness, and helpfulness. Individuals from all six cultures were able to distinguish between low, medium, and high HGS portraits. Across all study populations, portrait of Maasai men with lower HGS was perceived as less attractive, more aggressive, and less helpful. This suggests that people from diverse populations share similar perceptions of physical strength based on facial shape, as well as attribute similar social qualities like aggressiveness and helpfulness to these facial images. Participants from all samples rated the composite image of weak Maasai men as the least attractive.

• Keywords
• Aggressiveness, Attractiveness, Composite portraits, Cross-cultural ratings, Geometric morphometrics, HGS, Hand grip strength, Helpfulness, Maasai, Perception, Strength,
• MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Perception MeSH
• Hand Strength * MeSH
• Cross-Cultural Comparison * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Geographicals
• Czech Republic MeSH
• Tanzania MeSH