生物谷报道：人们常说上天是公平的，得到的越多，就可能失去越多。然而最近一项研究表明幸运的却会经常降临在一个人的身上，他可以拥有天使的脸庞和更加健康的身体。
英国斯特林大学的研究人员近期做了一项调查研究，结果表明相貌优秀的人通常会拥有健康的身体，其原因则是：相貌优秀是拥有良好基因的表现。研究人员通过人们对最协调和最不协调的脸部照片所产生的吸引力作出判断，得出的结论是：面部对称的男性都更富有阳刚之气，而面部对称的女性则更具阴柔之美。研究人员表示，生物特性能够说明很多问题，例如对称性和阳刚、阴柔的特性“都能体现抗病能力，或者应对环境压力的能力，而这也许意味着拥有这些特征的人将更加健康。这项研究结果发表在5月7日出版的《共科学图书馆 综合》上面。(生物谷www.bioon.com)
生物谷推荐原始出处：
PLoS ONE , May 7, 2008;doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0002106;Thomas Reimchen, University of Victoria, Canada
Symmetry Is Related to Sexual Dimorphism in Faces: Data Across Culture and Species
Anthony C. Little1*, Benedict C. Jones2, Corri Waitt3, Bernard P. Tiddeman4, David R. Feinberg5, David I. Perrett6, Coren L. Apicella7, Frank W. Marlowe8
1 School of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom2 School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom3 Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom4 School of Computer Science, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom5 Department of Psychology, McMaster University, Ontario, Canada6 School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, United Kingdom7 Department of Anthropology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America8 Department of Anthropology, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, United States of America
Abstract
Background
Many animals both display and assess multiple signals. Two prominently studied traits are symmetry and sexual dimorphism, which, for many animals, are proposed cues to heritable fitness benefits. These traits are associated with other potential benefits, such as fertility. In humans, the face has been extensively studied in terms of attractiveness. Faces have the potential to be advertisements of mate quality and both symmetry and sexual dimorphism have been linked to the attractiveness of human face shape.
Methodology/Principal Findings
Here we show that measurements of symmetry and sexual dimorphism from faces are related in humans, both in Europeans and African hunter-gatherers, and in a non-human primate. Using human judges, symmetry measurements were also related to perceived sexual dimorphism. In all samples, symmetric males had more masculine facial proportions and symmetric females had more feminine facial proportions.
Conclusions/Significance
Our findings support the claim that sexual dimorphism and symmetry in faces are signals advertising quality by providing evidence that there must be a biological mechanism linking the two traits during development. Such data also suggests that the signalling properties of faces are universal across human populations and are potentially phylogenetically old in primates.
