title: Coloration in different areas of facial skin is a cue to health: The role of cheek redness and periorbital luminance in health perception.
abstract: Looking healthy is a desirable trait, and facial skin color is a predictor of perceived health. However, skin conditions that cause dissatisfaction with appearance are specific to particular facial areas. We investigated whether color variation in facial skin is related to perceived health. Study 1 defined three areas based on color differences between faces perceived as healthy or unhealthy: the forehead, periorbital areas, and the cheeks. Periorbital luminance and cheek redness predicted perceived health, as did global skin yellowness. In Study 2, increased luminance and redness caused faces to be perceived as healthier, but only when the increase was in the periorbital and cheek areas, respectively. Manipulating each area separately in Study 3 revealed cheek redness and periorbital luminance equally increased perceived health, with low periorbital luminance more negatively affecting perceptions. These findings show that color variation in facial skin is a cue for health perception in female faces.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA, USA. Electronic address: alexjonesphd@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Alex L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.affiliation: CHANEL Recherche et Technologie, CHANEL PB, Paris, France; LPNC, University of Grenoble-Alpes, Grenoble, France.
authors.forename: Aurélie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Porcheron
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Sweda
authors.affiliation: CHANEL Recherche et Technologie, CHANEL PB, Paris, France.
authors.forename: Frederique
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morizot
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, PA, USA. Electronic address: rrussell@gettysburg.edu.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Russell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005145:Face / Q000502:physiology*; D000066499:Facial Recognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D000067029:Physical Appearance, Body / Q000502:physiology*; D012938:Social Perception
keywords: Appearance; Face perception; Health perception; Skin color; Skin condition