Table 1.
Demonstrated variation in female preferences for purported indicators of good genes across the cycle. (‘+’ indicates that a significant effect (an overall preference or preference for a short-term mate at 0.05 level of statistical significance using a directed test) was detected. ‘−’ indicates that no such effect was detected. (In no case was a significant effect in the unpredicted direction detected. Hence, minuses connote null effects.) The interaction effect refers to finding a greater shift for ratings of attractiveness in a short-term relationship (men's sexiness) than long-term relationship. ‘0’ means that the effect was not examined in the study. A few studies also examined differences in preferences as a function of whether women were in long-term committed relationships or single. This table does not report these effects.)
| trait | study | positive finding? | interaction w relat. context |
|---|---|---|---|
| masculine features | |||
| scent of social dominance | Havlicek et al. (2005) | + | 0 |
| scent of androstenone | Grammer (1993) | + | 0 |
| Hummel et al. (1991) | + | 0 | |
| scent of testosterone | Rantala et al. (2006) | − | 0 |
| masculine face | Penton-Voak et al. (1999) study 1 | + | 0 |
| Penton-Voak et al. (1999) study 2 | + | + | |
| Penton-Voak & Perrett (2000) | + | 0 | |
| Johnston et al. (2001) | + | + | |
| Scarbrough & Johnston (2005) | − | − | |
| Jones et al. (2005a) | + | 0 | |
| facial features associated with high testosterone | Roney & Simmons 2008 | + | 0 |
| masculine body | Little et al. (2007a) | + | + |
| Gangestad et al. (2007) | + | + | |
| masculine voice | Puts (2005) | + | + |
| Feinberg et al. (2006) | + | 0 | |
| dominant behaviour | Gangestad et al. (2004) (see also Gangestad et al. 2007) | + | + |
| tall height | Pawlowski & Jasienska (2005) | + | + |
| dark (masculine) skin | Frost (1994) | + | 0 |
| correlates of symmetry | |||
| scent of symmetry | Gangestad & Thornhill (1998) | + | 0 |
| Thornhill & Gangestad (1999) | + | 0 | |
| Rikowski & Grammer (1999) | + | 0 | |
| Thornhill et al. (2003) | + | 0 | |
| facial features associated with body symmetry | Thornhill & Gangestad (2003) | + | 0 |
| facial symmetry | Koehler et al. (2002) | − | − |
| Koehler et al. (2006) | − | − | |
| Cardenas & Harris (2007) | − | 0 | |
| Little et al. (2007b), study 1 | + | 0 | |
| Little et al. (2007b), study 2 | + | + | |
| purported mental fitness indicators | |||
| creative talent (versus wealth) | Haselton & Miller (2006) | + | + |
| intelligent appearance | Gangestad et al. (2007) | − | − |
| compatible genes | |||
| scent of MHC dissimilarity | Thornhill et al. (2003) | − | 0 |