Fruit over sunbed: Carotenoid skin colouration is found more attractive than melanin colouration

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology

Volumn 68, Issue 2, 2015, Pages 284-293

  Lefevre, Carmen E ^a   Perrett, David I ^b  

^a UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Attractiveness; Carotenoids; Health; Melanin; Sex differences; Skin colour; Skin yellowness

Indexed keywords

CAROTENOID; MELANIN;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; COLOR VISION; ESTHETICS; FACE; FEMALE; FRUIT; HUMAN; MALE; MIDDLE AGED; PHOTOSTIMULATION; PHYSIOLOGY; PROCEDURES; SEX DIFFERENCE; SKIN PIGMENTATION; YOUNG ADULT;

ADOLESCENT; ADULT; BEAUTY; CAROTENOIDS; COLOR PERCEPTION; FACE; FEMALE; FRUIT; HUMANS; MALE; MELANINS; MIDDLE AGED; PHOTIC STIMULATION; SEX FACTORS; SKIN PIGMENTATION; YOUNG ADULT;

EID: 84919608314     PISSN: 17470218     EISSN: 17470226     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/17470218.2014.944194     Document Type: Article

References (37)

1. Alaluf, S., Heinrich, U., Stahl, W., Tronnier, H., & Wiseman, S. (2002). Dietary carotenoids contribute to normal human skin color and UV photosensitivity. The Journal of Nutrition, 132(3), 399–403.
2. + cells in human blood. Immunology letters, 9(4), 221–224. doi:10.1016/0165-2478(85)90036-7
3. Armstrong, N., & Welsman, J. (2001). Peak oxygen uptake in relation to growth and maturation in 11-to 17–year-old humans. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 85(6), 546–551. doi:10.1007/s004210100485
4. Coetzee, V., Faerber, S. J., Greeff, J. M., Lefevre, C. E., Re, D. E., & Perrett, D. I. (2012). African perceptions of female attractiveness. PloS one, 7(10), e48116. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048116
5. Edwards, E. A., & Duntley, S. Q. (1939). The pigments and color of living human skin. American Journal of Anatomy, 65, 1–33. doi: 10.1002/aja.1000650102
6. Etcoff, N. (1999). Survival of the prettiest: The science of beauty. London: Little, Brown and Company.
7. Fink, B., Grammer, K., & Matts, P. J. (2006). Visible skin color distribution plays a role in the perception of age, attractiveness, and health in female faces. Evolution and Human Behavior, 27(6), 433–442. doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2006.08.007
8. Fink, B., Grammer, K., & Thornhill, R. (2001). Human (Homo sapiens) facial attractiveness in relation to skin texture and color. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 115(1), 92–99. doi: 10.1037/0735-7036.115.1.92
9. Friis, H., Gomo, E., Kastel, P., Ndhlovu, P., Nyazema, N., & Krarup, H., (2001). HIV and other predictors of serum β-carotene and retinol in pregnancy: A cross-sectional study in Zimbabwe. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 73, 1058–1065.
10. Frost, P. (1994). Preference for darker faces in photographs at different phases of the menstrual-cycle - Preliminary assessment of evidence for a hormonal relationship. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 79(1), 507–514. doi: 10.2466/pms.1994.79.1.507
11. Hearing, V. J. (1997). The regulation of melanin production. In W. Hori (Ed.), Drug discovery approaches for developing cosmeceuticals, advanced skin care and cosmetic products (pp. 3.1.1–3.1.21). Southborough: IBC Library Series.
12. Jablonski, N. G., & Chaplin, G. (2000). The evolution of human skin coloration. Journal of Human Evolution, 39(1), 57–106. doi: 10.1006/jhev.2000.0403
13. Johnson, J. M. (1998). Physical training and the control of skin blood flow. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 30, 382–386. doi: 10.1097/00005768-199803000-00007
14. Jones, B. C., Little, A. C., Feinberg, D. R., Penton-Voak, I. S., Tiddeman, B. P., & Perrett, D. I. (2004). The relationship between shape symmetry and perceived skin condition in male facial attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior, 25, 24–30. doi: 10.1016/S1090-5138(03)00080-1
15. Koutsos, E. A., Christopher Calvert, C., & Klasing, K. C. (2003). The effect of an acute phase response on tissue carotenoid levels of growing chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus). Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology, 135(4), 635–646. doi: 10.1016/S1095-6433(03)00158-2
16. Lefevre, C. E., Ewbank, M., Calder, A. J., von dem Hagen, E. & Perrett, D. I. (2013). It's all in the face: Increased yellowness is only found attractive in the context of a face. Biology Letters, 9, 20130633. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2013.0633
17. Matts, P. J., Fink, B., Grammer, K., & Burquest, M. (2007). Color homogeneity and visual perception of age, health, and attractiveness of female facial skin. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 57, 977–984. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2007.07.040
18. Mesa, M. S. (1983). Analyse de la variabilité de la pigmentation de la peau durant la croissance. Bulletin et mémoires de la société d'anthropologie de Paris, 13(10), 49–60. doi: 10.3406/bmsap.1983.3882
19. Ponsonby, A. L., Dwyer, T., & Couper, D. (1997). Sleeping position, infant apnea, and cyanosis: a population-based study. Pediatrics, 99, e3–e3. doi: 10.1542/peds.99.1.e3
20. Porcheron, A., Mauger, E., & Russell, R. (2013). Aspects of facial contrast decrease with age and are cues for age perception. PloS one, 8(3), e57985. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057985
21. Rhodes, G. (2006). The evolutionary psychology of facial beauty. Annual Review of Psychology, 57, 199–226. doi: 10.1146/annurev.psych.57.102904.190208
22. Scott, I. M., Pound, N., Stephen, I. D., Clark, A. P., & Penton-Voak, I. S. (2010). Does masculinity matter? The contribution of masculine face shape to male attractiveness in humans. PLoS one, 5(10), e13585. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0013585
23. Seifter, E., Rettura, G., & Levenson, S. M. (1981). Carotenoids and cell-mediated immune responses. The quality of foods and beverages: chemistry and technology. Academic Press, New York, 335–347.
24. Shardell, M. D., Alley, D. E., Hicks, G. E., El-Kamary, S. S., Miller, R. R., Semba, R. D., & Ferrucci, L. (2011). Low-serum carotenoid concentrations and carotenoid interactions predict mortality in US adults: the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Nutrition Research, 31(3), 178–189. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2011.03.003
25. Smith, K. L., Cornelissen, P. L., & Tovée, M. J. (2007). Color 3D bodies and judgements of human female attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior, 28(1), 48–54. doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2006.05.007
26. Stahl, W., Heinrich, U., Jungmann, H., von Laar, J., Schietzel, M., Sies, H., & Tronnier, H. (1998). Increased dermal carotenoid levels assessed by noninvasive reflection spectrophotometry correlate with serum levels in women ingesting Betatene. Journal of Nutrition, 128, 903–907.
27. Stamatas, G. N., Zmudzka, B. Z., Kollias, N., & Beer, J. Z. (2004). Non-Invasive measurements of skin pigmentation in situ. Pigment Cell Research, 17, 618–626. doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0749.2004.00204.x
28. Stephen, I. D., Coetzee, V., Law-Smith, M. J., & Perrett, D. I. (2009). Skin blood perfusion and oxygenation colour affect perceived human health. PLoS One, 4(4), e5083. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005083
29. Stephen, I. D., Coetzee, V., & Perrett, D. I. (2011). Carotenoid and melanin pigment coloration affect perceived human health. Evolution and Human Behavior, 32(3), 216–227. doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2010.09.003
30. Stephen, I. D., Law-Smith, M. J., Stirrat, M. R., & Perrett, D. I. (2009). Facial skin coloration affects perceived health of human faces. International Journal of primatology, 30(6), 845–857. doi: 10.1007/s10764-009-9380-z
31. Stephen, I. D., & McKeegan, A. M. (2010). Lip colour affects perceived sex typicality and attractiveness of human faces. Perception, 39(8), 1104–1110. doi: 10.1068/p6730
32. Stephen, I. D., Scott, I. M., Coetzee, V., Pound, N., Perrett, D. I., & Penton-Voak, I. S. (2012). Cross-cultural effects of color, but not morphological masculinity, on perceived attractiveness of men's faces. Evolution and Human Behavior, 33(4), 260–267. doi: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2011.10.003
33. Tan, K. W., & Stephen, I. D. (2013). Colour detection thresholds in faces and colour patches. Perception, 42(7), 733–741. doi: 10.1068/p7499
34. Tiddeman, B., Burt, M., & Perrett, D. (2001). Prototyping and transforming facial textures for perception research. Computer Graphics and Applications, IEEE, 21(5), 42–50. doi: 10.1109/38.946630
35. Van den Berghe, P. L., & Frost, P. (1986). Skin color preference, sexual dimorphism and sexual selection: A case of gene culture co-evolution?. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 9(1), 87–113. doi: 10.1080/01419870.1986.9993516
36. Whitehead, R. D., Ozakinci, G., & Perrett, D. I. (2012). Attractive skin coloration: harnessing sexual selection to improve diet and health. Evolutionary Psychology: an International Journal of Evolutionary Approaches to Psychology and Behavior, 10(5), 842–854.
37. Whitehead, R. D., Re, D., Xiao, D., Ozakinci, G., & Perrett, D. I. (2012). You are what you eat: within-subject increases in fruit and vegetable consumption confer beneficial skin-color changes. PLoS One, 7, e32988. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032988