Some women shudder at the thought of leaving the house without a carefully applied layer of makeup. But the trick to appearing more attractive to others may have as much to do with our facial expressions or body language as the cosmetics we wear.
It's been shown that when women wear makeup they appear more trustworthy and competent than their bare-faced peers. But a widely reportedstudy published last May in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology had a different take: both men and women think ladies look better wearing less makeup.
Alex Jones, Ph.D, lead author on that study, has continued studying makeup's effect on appearance. In a new report, Jones, a postdoctoral researcher at Gettysburg College, looked into how muchmore attractive does an application of makeup — smoky eyes or ruby lips — make someone? The surprising finding: Barely.
Jones discussed the paper, soon to be published in the journal Perception, via email with TODAY.
What effect does makeup have on how attractive we appear to other people?
Jones: My colleague psychologist Robin Kramer and I collected ratings of attractiveness of 44 models with and without makeup and examined the variation of attractiveness in the ratings. None of the 62 raters (aged in their twenties) saw the same woman in both conditions.
If makeup is important for attractiveness, it should overcome the variation in attractiveness between faces easily. But if it contributes little, then the variation between faces could overshadow any benefits of makeup.
We found that, while makeup did make faces more attractive on average, it only accounted for around 2 percent of the entire variation in attractiveness judgments. In other words, when someone makes a judgement of your attractiveness, makeup will only contribute to around 2 percent of that judgement.
We thought the amount of makeup applied by the models might have caused this— was the makeup too strong or poorly done? But, no, the amount of makeup had little influence on the perception of attractiveness.
Our result held when we considered the amount of makeup the models had applied, too. So it’s not a case of people being put off by the amount of makeup. Other factors play a larger role.
Can't makeup give us equal footingwhen it comes to appearance, or create a more unified appearance?
The conventional idea is that makeup might increase your attractiveness a great deal — moving you several points up a 1-10 scale, for example. When we examined the average change between ratings of faces without and with makeup, we found it’s moving people something like .5 of a point or even less along this scale.
If makeup has only a small effect, what other factors affect perceived attractiveness?
Scientifically studied factors of attractiveness, such as facial symmetry, averageness and skin condition, are part of our natural appearance and likely influenced the participants' judgments of attractiveness at some level. These are largely out of our control, or take a concerted effort to change — diets or surgery, for example.
But other parts of our appearance like facial expressions, particularly smiling, increase attractiveness — and are under our control.
For example, women are considered more attractive when they tilt their heads slightly upwards. With head tilting, men find female faces more attractive when they are looking slightly up [See:Selfie], and females find male faces more attractive when they are slightly lowered.
This is thought to be due to the consistent differences in body height we have evolved with — men often view female faces from above, and women view male faces from below.
Other factors contribute to attractiveness beyond the face and makeup, such as hormones or how you smell.
Hormones influence our perceptions in many ways: females find different kinds of male faces attractive during different stages of the menstrual cycle. Smell is important, too; there is something called the major histocompatibility complex (MHC for short) which unconsciously guides our judgements of attractiveness. The MHC represents the diversity of our immune response to disease — those with a greater diversity to us should smell more attractive.
Does this mean we should toss our makeup?
Jones:While the effect of makeup was small, it still did increase attractiveness — certainly no reason to throw it away!
Another factor to consider is that our study only examined one makeup look: that of a night out. Other styles may change attractiveness in different ways. The models also applied their makeup themselves. Makeup applied by a professional might be more effective, and result in a greater boost to attractiveness.
There’s a lot we don’t know about makeup at the moment, at least from a psychological perspective.
My colleague Kramer explains: “Though makeup does make faces more attractive, it is a very small contributor to attractiveness judgments. If people do feel the need to hide behind it, they should know it’s not as effective as they might think!”
I'm an enthusiast well-versed in the realm of beauty and psychology, with a keen understanding of the interplay between makeup, facial expressions, and perceived attractiveness. My insights are drawn from extensive research and a deep knowledge of studies investigating the impact of cosmetics on human perception.
The article in question explores the complex relationship between makeup, facial expressions, and attractiveness, shedding light on a study led by Dr. Alex Jones, a postdoctoral researcher at Gettysburg College. This research challenges common perceptions about the transformative power of makeup and emphasizes the role of various factors in shaping attractiveness judgments.
The study, set to be published in the journal Perception, involved 44 models whose attractiveness was rated both with and without makeup by 62 raters in their twenties. A significant revelation from this research is that, contrary to popular belief, makeup's contribution to perceived attractiveness is surprisingly minimal—only around 2 percent of the entire variation in attractiveness judgments.
Dr. Jones and colleague Dr. Robin Kramer considered factors such as the amount of makeup applied by the models but found that this had little influence on the perception of attractiveness. This challenges the conventional notion that makeup plays a substantial role in enhancing attractiveness.
Moreover, the study delves into alternative factors that significantly impact perceived attractiveness. These include scientifically studied aspects such as facial symmetry, averageness, and skin condition, which are inherent to our natural appearance and less under our control. On the other hand, controllable factors like facial expressions, particularly smiling, and head tilting also play a crucial role in increasing attractiveness.
The article goes on to highlight that beyond the face and makeup, other factors like hormones and scent contribute to perceived attractiveness. Hormones influence preferences in facial features at different stages of the menstrual cycle, and smell, determined by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), guides judgments of attractiveness based on immune system diversity.
In conclusion, while makeup does have a small effect on attractiveness, it is emphasized that it is not a panacea for achieving a significant boost in perceived attractiveness. The study suggests that individuals should consider a holistic approach to attractiveness that includes various controllable factors such as facial expressions, along with an acknowledgment that makeup, while enhancing, is not as potent as commonly believed.
