Facial contrast is a cross-cultural cue to age perception, observers perceive women with increased facial contrast as younger, regardless of the ethnic background.
Which Facial Features are You Most Likely to Inherit
The notion that our genes control our face is self-evident. Many of us have facial traits that clearly resemble those of our parents and identical twins are often indistinguishable.
The notion that our genes control our face is self-evident. Many of us have facial traits that clearly resemble those of our parents and identical twins are often indistinguishable.
‘People could actively modify how old they look, by altering how much their facial features stand out. People of different cultures use facial contrast as a cue for perceiving age from the face.’
Our age can influence how other people see and treat us. For many people, maintaining a youthful appearance is important, as they perceive this as more attractive and a sign of health. But what makes one face look older than another? Some signs of aging, such as wrinkles, are well-known and common across different ethnicities, but others are less understood. A French research team, in collaboration with American researchers, have discovered one such aspect of aging -- facial contrast.
"Facial contrast refers to how much the eyes, lips and eyebrows stand out in the face in terms of how light or dark they are or how colorful they are," says Aurélie Porcheron, a researcher involved in the study.
Why Some People are Unable to Use Facial Features to Recognize a Person
The earliest face-selective responses, those recorded approximately 170 milliseconds after seeing a face, are altered in people with congenital prosopagnosia.
The earliest face-selective responses, those recorded approximately 170 milliseconds after seeing a face, are altered in people with congenital prosopagnosia.
While people of different ethnicities can have different skin colors, age-related changes in skin color tend to be similar. Porcheron and her colleagues speculated that the relationship between facial contrast and aging might be similar across different ethnicities.
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Study Finds That Sleep Deprivation Affects Facial Features Like Eyes, Mouth and Skin
Facial features like eyes, mouth and skin are affected by sleep deprivation. A new study has found that these features function as signs of sleep loss to other people.
Facial features like eyes, mouth and skin are affected by sleep deprivation. A new study has found that these features function as signs of sleep loss to other people.
The research team found that while there were some small differences, several aspects of facial contrast decreased with age in all four groups of women, including contrast around the mouth and eyebrows. This indicates that at least some aspects of facial contrast naturally decline with age in women from around the world.
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Men With Hint of Redness on Facial Features Appear More Attractive to Women
Men who have a hint of redness on their facial features are more likely to be found attractive by women as they are seen as dominant alpha males.
Men who have a hint of redness on their facial features are more likely to be found attractive by women as they are seen as dominant alpha males.
The research team invited male and female volunteers from two different cultural backgrounds, France and China, to choose the younger-looking face between the two versions of each face. The participants chose the high facial contrast face as the young face almost 80% of the time, regardless of the cultural origin of the participant or the face.
"People of different cultures use facial contrast as a cue for perceiving age from the face, even though they are not consciously aware of it," says Porcheron. "The results also suggest that people could actively modify how old they look, by altering how much their facial features stand out, for example by darkening or coloring their features."
Source-Eurekalert
