Perception of strength, attractiveness and aggressiveness of Maasai male faces calibrated to handgrip strength: Evidence from a European sample

American Journal of Human Biology. 2023. Vol. 35. No. 6. Article e23869.

Windhager S., Ottendorfer T., Mabulla A., Butovskaya M., Fink B.

Objectives: Previous research showed that male and female members of the Maasai from Northern Tanzania judge images of facial morphs calibrated to greater handgrip strength (HGS) higher on strength and attractiveness, but lower on aggressiveness than those calibrated to lower HGS. The accurate assessment of male physical strength from facial information may be adaptive as suggested by the evidence on health and fitness-related benefits linked to high muscular strength.
Methods: This study extends previous work by obtaining European female (n = 220) and male (n = 51) assessments of HGS-calibrated Maasai male faces. Participants rated five facial morphs for strength, attractiveness, and aggres- siveness on computer screens.
Results: Perceived physical strength increased with morphs calibrated to higher HGS. The lowest and highest HGS morphs were judged lower in attrac- tiveness than the others, and rated aggressiveness decreased in morphs cali- brated to higher HGS.
Conclusions: Given the high similarity between the current study findings and those previously reported from intra-population assessments of Maasai faces calibrated to HGS, we suggest that strength and aggressiveness percep- tions of facial features associated with male physical strength may be univer- sal. Attractiveness assessments of strength-related information in the faces of (very) strong men were less consistent across populations, possibly attributable to cultural and ecological contexts.

Keywords: perception, Maasai male faces

Publication based on the results of: Socio-cultural Evolution: Development of the Theory at the Intersection of History and Anthropology (2023)