Effect of averageness and sexual dimorphism on the judgment of facial attractiveness

Effect of sexual dimorphism and averageness on the judgment of facial attractiveness was investigated. Participants (n=114) rated attractiveness of 96 facial photographs with neutral expressions. Principal component analyses were conducted on 80 facial feature points standardized via the generalized Procrustes method. Local regression analysis was used to obtain the distribution of attractiveness evaluations for the first two principal components. The distribution of facial attractiveness of each sex was approximately line-symmetrical, and each axis of the symmetry passed through average male and female faces. These results suggest that sexual dimorphism and averageness independently influence facial attractiveness.