Face recognition takes place within a distinct heritable module of the brain and includes the ability to distinguish between male and female human faces. To identify gender, this module targets a number of sexually dimorphic features, particularly the hue and luminosity of facial skin. Men look browner and ruddier in hue because melanin and blood are more present in their skin’s outer tissues. Women have a higher luminous contrast between their facial skin and their lips and eyes. Hue seems to provide a “fast channel” for gender recognition. If the observer is too far away or the lighting too dim, the brain switches to the “slow channel” and targets luminosity. In addition to assisting gender recognition, the skin’s hue and luminosity may also alter the observer’s mental state in a number of areas, ranging from sexual attraction to emotional distancing.
Sounds like one of the studies by Richard Russell (http://www.richard-russell.net/about). Yes, there is a strong cross-cultural tendency in women's makeup to increase the contrast between the lightness of facial skin and the darkness of the lip and eye areas.
Amazing article. It reminded me of a study where people had to identify a fairly neutral face as male or female. The answers could be tilted in either direction by simply changing the level of contrast in the pigmentation across the face. Studies of real faces showed women naturally have more contrast in pigment across the face and that humans subconsciously recognised this (and likely makeup culture is at least in part designed to accentuate this to make faces look more feminine).
This is the abstract of my 2011 article:
Face recognition takes place within a distinct heritable module of the brain and includes the ability to distinguish between male and female human faces. To identify gender, this module targets a number of sexually dimorphic features, particularly the hue and luminosity of facial skin. Men look browner and ruddier in hue because melanin and blood are more present in their skin’s outer tissues. Women have a higher luminous contrast between their facial skin and their lips and eyes. Hue seems to provide a “fast channel” for gender recognition. If the observer is too far away or the lighting too dim, the brain switches to the “slow channel” and targets luminosity. In addition to assisting gender recognition, the skin’s hue and luminosity may also alter the observer’s mental state in a number of areas, ranging from sexual attraction to emotional distancing.
Frost, P. (2011). Hue and luminosity of human skin: a visual cue for gender recognition and other mental tasks. Human Ethology Bulletin 26(2): 25-34. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256296588_Hue_and_luminosity_of_human_skin_a_visual_cue_for_gender_recognition_and_other_mental_tasks
Sounds like one of the studies by Richard Russell (http://www.richard-russell.net/about). Yes, there is a strong cross-cultural tendency in women's makeup to increase the contrast between the lightness of facial skin and the darkness of the lip and eye areas.
Maybe add a summary.
I can't find the narrated version of this article in the podcast feed!
Amazing article. It reminded me of a study where people had to identify a fairly neutral face as male or female. The answers could be tilted in either direction by simply changing the level of contrast in the pigmentation across the face. Studies of real faces showed women naturally have more contrast in pigment across the face and that humans subconsciously recognised this (and likely makeup culture is at least in part designed to accentuate this to make faces look more feminine).