Human faces are critical for social communication, enabling individuals to make rapid judgments about traits like trustworthiness and competence. Previous research suggests that face masks can enhance perceptions of trustworthiness and, to a lesser extent, competence, although findings on competence are more variable and context-dependent. Additionally, age-related facial cues influence social judgments, with older and younger faces being evaluated differently. This research examined the impact of face masks on perceptions of trustworthiness and competence across two age groups: young adults (Study 1) and old adults (Study 2). Study 1 revealed that face masks increased perceptions of trustworthiness and competence for young faces. In contrast, Study 2 found no significant effects of face masks on trustworthiness or competence for older faces, suggesting that age-related facial features and stereotypes may overshadow mask-induced perceptual biases. Altogether, the findings indicate that the impact of face masks on social perceptions, particularly trustworthiness and competence, may not generalize reliably across different age groups.

There is abundant research on the nature and content of mind wandering (MW) in neurotypical individuals, yet little research in these areas on individuals high in autistic traits. The current study explored the relationship between autistic traits and several aspects of MW: themes, intentionality, temporal dimensions, and attitudes towards MW. A total of 1,477 participants completed measures of autistic traits, MW, and stress. Autistic trait level was positively correlated with the MW theme of guilt and fear of failure (GFF), spontaneous MW (MW-S), poor attentional control (PAC), and stress, and negatively correlated with appreciation for MW's benefits. Participants were then divided into two groups based on their autistic trait level. Those scoring six and above on the AQ-10 were placed in the "high" group, and those scoring five and below in the "low" group. Significant group differences emerged for GFF, MW-S, PAC, stress, and appreciation of MW. These results add to a small but growing body of research exploring the internal experiences of individuals high in autistic traits and how their MW patterns may relate to common challenges associated with autism. However, because all participants were neurotypical university students, the findings may not generalize to Autistic individuals or to more diverse samples. Taken together, these results suggest that MW content and frequency offer insight into challenges with sustained attention, daily stress, and anxious thought patterns. Future research should explore whether encouraging the benefits of MW (i.e., creativity, planning, and mood regulation) could support skill development and emotional well-being in individuals high in autistic traits.

Fathers represent one of the earliest opposite-sex relationships for daughters, and it has been suggested that fathers may shape their daughters' developmental trajectory. Fathers are often stricter with their daughters compared to sons in monitoring and correcting behaviors, most notably in the avenue of social and sexual monitoring. Nonetheless, there are no valid measurement tools for capturing the different factors associated with daughter-guarding by fathers. The current study proposed an instrument for addressing daughter-guarding as reported by fathers. In Study 1, an exploratory factor analysis showed that 3-underlying factors were present in daughter-guarding, such as social monitoring of friends, guarding decisions, and opposite-sex monitoring. In Study 2, a confirmatory factor analysis showed that a 3-factor model was a good fit, and each of the 3-subscales were reliable. This work provides a good avenue for future studies seeking to address paternal behaviors and their influence on daughters' development.

Life-history theory provides an evolutionary framework for understanding how individuals allocate resources between mating, self-maintenance, and long-term investment, yet it has rarely been applied to body image outside Western contexts. This study examined body image among Arab young adults through a life-history lens, testing how fast–slow life-history strategies relate to appearance evaluation and appearance orientation, and how these associations are shaped by social media use, religiosity, gender, and age. Participants (N = 8,895) completed standardized measures of life-history strategy (Mini-K), body image, religiosity, and daily social media use. Results revealed that slower life-history strategies were associated with greater body satisfaction and higher appearance orientation, whereas faster strategies were linked to poorer appearance evaluations, consistent with greater mating-effort trade-offs. Social media use exerted a complementary effect, predicting lower appearance satisfaction and heightened appearance preoccupation. Gender moderated life-history effects on appearance evaluation, with slow-strategy women showing especially high body satisfaction. Religiosity and age were positively associated with both satisfaction and appearance orientation. Together, these findings extend life-history theory to a non-Western context, showing that body image reflects evolved strategic trade-offs shaped by digital and cultural ecologies.

Recent developments in large language models (LLMs), have renewed calls to study how people perceive minds in these AI applications. Across 4 experiments that differed in the type of exposure (vignettes or real-time interaction), we found that exposure to LLMs (i.e., Chat GPT, LLaMA, Claude) can increase attributions of mind for both agency (ability to do) and experience (ability to feel). These effects varied as a function of exposure type, with vignettes producing larger effects than real-time interactions, perhaps because users tended to ask fact-based questions during real-time interactions. We also found that individuals who interacted with LLMs more before the experiments, and individuals with a general propensity to anthropomorphize, perceived more mind in LLMs. These findings suggest that as LLMs grow in popularity, and people are exposed to them to a greater extent, the degree to which people attribute qualities of mind to AI systems will also increase depending on the type of exposure. These results pose an intriguing question for future research regarding how long-term exposure or other nuances in the type of exposure to LLMs may influence mind perception.

Attachment theory suggests that early parental relationships influence an individual’s attachment style in adulthood. While extensive research has examined the impact of parental attachment on romantic relationships, the role of father-daughter attachment in shaping romantic attachment styles remains understudied, particularly across cultural contexts. This study explores the relationship between father-daughter attachment styles and romantic attachment styles in women from the United Kingdom and Turkey. Participants (TR = 254, UK = 83) completed measures assessing their attachment to their fathers (e.g., secure, dependent, parentified, fearful, distant) and their romantic attachment styles (secure, avoidant, preoccupied, unresolved). The findings revealed that women with secure father-daughter attachments were more likely to have secure romantic relationships, whereas parentified and distant father-daughter attachments were associated with less secure relationship styles. Cultural differences emerged, with Turkish women reporting more secure and preoccupied romantic attachment styles, while women from the UK exhibited higher levels of avoidant attachment. Notably, fearful father-daughter attachment was positively associated with secure romantic relationships in UK women but not in Turkish women. These findings highlight the critical influence of paternal attachment on romantic relationships and suggest that cultural factors may shape how early attachment experiences translate into adult romantic dynamics. The study contributes to understanding the nuanced role of father-daughter bonds in romantic attachment and emphasizes the need for cross-cultural perspectives in attachment research.

Facial expressions play a crucial role in social communication, influencing judgments of trustworthiness and competence. While previous research has examined how face masks affect trust and competence in general populations, little is known about their impact on individuals with high autistic traits, who often rely more on the mouth region for social cue interpretation. The present study investigates the effects of face masks on perceptions of trustworthiness and competence as a function of high and low autistic traits. Results show that masked faces are generally perceived as more trustworthy and competent than unmasked faces. The effect of mask wearing on trustworthiness and competence ratings was not affected by autistic traits, suggesting that participants, regardless of their level of autistic traits, adjusted their judgements using available facial cues.

Evolutionary psychology views the human eye as special. In particular, it claims that the light peri-iridial tissues surrounding a relatively darker iris form a combination that sets us apart from other primates. From this perspective, much less attention has been paid to how eye colouration varies between humans, although evidence indicates that variations in peri-iridial and iridial colouration influence both perceived facial attractiveness and sex-typicality. To determine what aspects of eye colouration influence the perception of faces, we have measured the colour of peri-iridial eye tissues (‘the white of the eye’) and the iris in nine samples from seven distant cultures (N = 1033) across three continents. The faces were rated on facial attractiveness and sex-typicality by raters from the corresponding populations. Accounting for the effects of skin lightness, age, and facial shape, we ran a Bayesian multilevel model to estimate global and sample-specific effects of colouration of the iris and peri-iridial tissues on perceived sex-typicality and facial attractiveness. This exploratory, cross-sectional study revealed an overall preference for slightly darker peri-iridial tissues in women, whereby this association was mediated by perceived sex-typicality. Our findings challenge the notion that the light-eyed phenotype is universally preferred by human raters. Instead, they suggest a preference for a moderate phenotype, perhaps because very light peri-iridial tissues are typical of faces which are generally perceived as less feminine. Women with bluer irises were generally perceived as more attractive but findings related to other colour channels and iris features were inconsistent and varied across samples. The morphological variation of human eyes is an understudied phenomenon. While attention has been paid to the alleged uniqueness of human eyes (compared to other primates), little is known about how variations in eye colouration influence human perception of faces. Our study included over 1000 individuals from seven culturally distinct regions, mapped human eye variation, and tested how eye colouration influences perceived attractiveness and sex-typicality. In humans, variation in eye colouration is relatively large and differs across populations. Our findings suggest that it affects the perception of faces. Paradoxically, darker peri-iridial regions (scleras) slightly enhance the perception of femininity and female attractiveness, which challenges the idea that lighter eyes are universally preferred. Moreover, blue/light irises were in some contexts linked to a higher attractiveness. These results further refine our understanding of the role of eye colouration in perceived attractiveness.

Evolutionary psychology posits that physical appearance provides cues to an individual’s underlying mate value, with attractiveness signalling health, fertility and genetic quality. However, limited research has examined how physical disabilities, which may not align with the evolved cues of physical attractiveness, affect mate evaluation. The present study (N = 145) investigated perceptions of people with physical disabilities (PWPD) through an evolutionary lens, assessing attractiveness, emotional intelligence, and relationship desirability across short- and long-term mating contexts. The influence of causal attribution (internal vs. external) and perceiver traits were also explored. Consistent with sexually dimorphic predictions from Sexual Strategies Theory, men, placing a premium on physical traits, rated non-disabled women as more attractive and were more likely to seek both short- and long-term relationships with non-disabled women than with disabled women. In contrast, women rated disabled men as more emotionally intelligent than non-disabled men. Attribution of disability origin was not found to significantly influence ratings of any outcome measure. Moreover, participant Social Desirability Bias positively influenced ratings of attractiveness and emotional intelligence. These findings suggest that target physical disability influences mate evaluation in a sex-dependent manner, potentially highlighting sexually dimorphic mating strategies.

Perceiving and recognizing faces are vital components for social interactions among humans. Extensive prior research has shown that facial sexual dimorphism, a nonverbal social signal, contributes to perceived facial attractiveness for neurotypical individuals. However, there has been no research investigating if that might also be true for high autistic trait individuals. The current study investigates the facial qualities that high autistic trait individuals find attractive in others. In Study 1, faces with altered levels of sexual dimorphism were presented for five seconds, and the gaze behaviour of high and low autistic trait participants was recorded while they rated the attractiveness of the images. In Study 2, participants were given unlimited viewing time to rate face attractiveness. In Study 1, high trait individuals made fewer fixations to the eye region compared to low individuals, but both groups reported similar facial femininity/masculinity preferences. In Study 2, results showed that preference for masculinity in both male and female faces increased as autistic traits increased, indicating a positive association between autistic traits and masculinity preference. A similar trend was observed when comparing individuals with high versus low autistic traits, but this group difference did not reach statistical significance. The current exploratory research is the first to investigate potential links between what facial characteristics contribute to attractiveness in high trait individuals. The findings of this investigation suggest that individuals with higher levels of autistic traits may show a greater preference for masculine features in both male and female faces. Notably, when participants were given unlimited viewing time, distinctions in perceived facial attractiveness emerged as a function of autistic traits, including a significant interaction between autistic trait level and the sex of the face.

Eyelashes have evolved as a protective feature for the eyes, offering defense against external dangers such as contamination, excessive evaporation, and shear stress from airflow. They may also serve as indicators of an individual's health, since various diseases, both congenital and non-congenital, can influence eyelash length. Building on the argument of evolutionary functionality, recent research into human preferences for eyelash length, from an evolutionary perspective, has identified an inverted-U preference pattern across all ethnic groups. However, this research primarily focused on the attractiveness of eyelash length, leaving questions about the alignment of health perceptions and attractiveness and how eyelash length might signal sexual receptivity unaddressed. The current study aimed to fill these gaps by investigating perceptions of health and sexual receptivity as functions of eyelash length, hypothesizing that while long eyelashes may be rated as less attractive, they could be perceived as signals of sexual receptivity. To explore these questions, participants evaluated the perceived health, attractiveness, and sexual receptivity of female faces from Indian, Asian, Black, and White groups, featuring a range of eyelash lengths from none to half the eye's width. Results confirmed that both health and attractiveness perceptions follow an inverted-U pattern, peaking at eyelash lengths about one-third the width of the eye, consistently across different ethnicities and regardless of the participant's sex. Additionally, results showed that eyelash length is positively associated with perceived sexual receptivity, suggesting that longer eyelashes might signal openness to casual relationships, despite lower attractiveness and health ratings at lengths beyond the optimal one-third ratio. This indicates a potential reproductive strategy linked to wearing long eyelashes and reveals that perceptions of attractiveness and sexual receptivity can diverge.

OBJECTIVES:Infectious diseases are often associated with decline in quality of life. The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between personal history of communicable, i.e., infectious and parasitic diseases and self-rated health. STUDY DESIGN:Secondary analysis of a large dataset multi-country observational study. METHODS:We used a four-pronged analysis approach to investigate whether personal history of infectious and parasitic diseases is related to self-reported health, measured with a single item. RESULTS:Three of the four analyses found a small positive effect on self-reported health among those reporting a history of pathogen exposure. The meta-analysis found no support but large heterogeneity that was not reduced by two classifications of countries. CONCLUSION:Personal history of infectious and parasitic diseases does not reduce self-reported health across a global sample.

Love is commonly hypothesized to function as an evolved commitment device, disincentivizing the pursuit of romantic alternatives and signaling this motivational shift to a partner. Here, we test this possibility against a novel signaling-to-alternatives account, in which love instead operates by dissuading alternatives from pursuing oneself. Overall, we find stronger support for the latter account. In Studies 1 and 2, we find that partner quality relative to alternatives positively predicts feelings of love, and love fails to mitigate the negative effects of desirable alternatives on relationship satisfaction—contradicting the classic commitment device account. In Study 3, using a longitudinal design, we replicate these effects and find that changes in partner quality relative to alternatives predict changes in love over time. In Study 4, we replicate the relationship between love and relative partner quality across 44 countries. In Study 5, we find a nearly one-to-one correspondence between the extent to which partner-directed actions are diagnostic of love and reductions in romantic alternatives' attraction to the actor. These results suggest that love may not act as a commitment device in the classic sense by disincentivizing the pursuit of alternatives but by disincentivizing alternatives from pursuing oneself.

Contrapposto, an asymmetrical twisting of the hips and shoulders, has historically been associated with beauty and aesthetics in art. While the impact of a female contrapposto posture on perception of attractiveness and visual attention has been studied, its effects on males remain understudied. The current research aims to explore whether contrapposto postures in men influence perceptions of attractiveness, dominance, masculinity, dynamism, and naturalness, as well as visual attention. Two eye-tracking studies were conducted, utilizing images of male models in contrapposto and upright poses. Despite differences in attributions, no significant differences were found in visual attention between the two poses in both initial fixation and prolonged gaze behaviors. Contrapposto was consistently perceived as less dominant, masculine, and natural. These findings suggest a feminizing effect of contrapposto on male body posture, aligning with previous research on female contrapposto. The current research provides insights into the historical and artistic significance of contrapposto while contributing to the understanding of nonverbal communication through body posture.

The evaluation of AI-generated art has seen increased interest after widespread access to AI-generated art (e.g., DALL-E or Stable Diffusion). While previous studies have suggested that there are preferences for human-generated art, the research remains far from robust with numerous contradictory findings. One potential reason for this discrepancy is differing experimental designs employing comparative or non-comparative methods. To shed light on this problem, two experiments were conducted: one using a Likert scale (N = 250) and another using a 2-alternative forced choice design (N = 102). Our conflicting results between the two designs suggest that traditional Likert-based art appraisals in non-comparative formats may not be sensitive enough to reliably detect preferences that a forced-choice task can reveal. While AI-generated art continues to become more mainstream, people tend to prefer human art in terms of their liking and valuation appraisals when measured in comparative designs that better approximate real-world interaction with art.

This research explored whether the conservativeness of religious veiling among Muslim women acts as a costly signal of trustworthiness and in-group commitment. Across three studies, we examined how different levels of veiling—from liberal to conservative attire—affect perceptions within Muslim communities and between Muslim and Christian participants. In Study 1, with Muslim participants using a between-subjects design, women in official attire were perceived as more trustworthy than those in liberal clothing, with no significant differences between conservative and liberal attire regarding trustworthiness. Study 2 employed a within-subjects design, finding that women in official clothing were rated higher in trustworthiness compared to those in liberal and conservative attire. Study 3 included both Muslim and Christian participants and directly assessed in-group commitment alongside trustworthiness. Muslim participants rated women in conservative and official clothing as more trustworthy and committed to the in-group than those in liberal attire, while Christian participants did not differentiate based on the level of conservativeness of veiling. Overall, the findings provide partial support for veiling as a signal within Muslim communities. Results suggest that official attire—rather than conservative veiling—enhances perceptions of trustworthiness, likely due to its appropriateness in professional contexts.

Previous research has shown that people have a preferred distance during their in-person interactions. However, it is less clear what the appropriate distance is for online interactions. The present study aimed to extend previous research by exploring whether comfort distance is different between dyadic interactions when taking place in a virtual online context compared with a virtual in-person context. The study involved 44 undergraduate students who participated in a virtual reality (VR) experiment, consisting of two conditions (an online and an in-person dyadic interaction). The participants were asked to adjust the distance between themselves and a virtual confederate displayed on a television screen (virtual online condition) and a virtual confederate displayed in-person (virtual in-person condition). The results showed that individuals select a larger distance from avatars for online interactions than for in-person interactions, prefer more distance between themselves and the screen than the distance between avatars and the screen, and opt for greater distance from male than from female confederates. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the dynamics of online social interactions and highlight the importance of context and perspective when studying proxemics.

Intrasexual selection is a mechanism of evolution that explains same-sex competitive behaviors. For women, the use of nonphysical competitive strategies is thought to be selected for due to the high cost associated with direct physical competition. Women incorporate competitive strategies, such as verbal and indirect aggression (i.e., gossiping and rumor spreading), to be able to target and compete with same-sex counterparts. Nonetheless, dark personality traits also correlate with competitive sexual behaviors, as individuals who score higher on psychopathy and Machiavellianism are more likely to engage in intrasexual competition due to their reliance on the use of manipulation and derogative behaviors. The current study investigated women's use of aggressive strategies in a Hispanic sample. Women (N = 136) completed the Intrasexual Competition Scale, Dark Tetrad (i.e., psychopathy, sadism, narcissism, and Machiavellianism), and Direct/Indirect Aggression Scale (Mini-DIAS). The findings showed that psychopathy predicted women's use of physical, verbal, and indirect aggression, while sadism predicted the use of verbal aggression. These findings add to research on the type of aggressive strategies that women utilize in intrasexual competitive contests and account for the unique role of dark personality traits.