title: Positive association between vocal and facial attractiveness in women but not in men: A cross-cultural study.
abstract: Various species use multiple sensory modalities in the communication processes. In humans, female facial appearance and vocal display are correlated and it has been suggested that they serve as redundant markers indicating the bearer's reproductive potential and/or residual fertility. In men, evidence for redundancy of facial and vocal attractiveness is ambiguous. We tested the redundancy/multiple signals hypothesis by correlating perceived facial and vocal attractiveness in men and women from two different populations, Brazil and the Czech Republic. We also investigated whether facial and vocal attractiveness are linked to facial morphology. Standardized facial pictures and vocal samples of 86 women (47 from Brazil) and 81 men (41 from Brazil), aged 18-35, were rated for attractiveness by opposite-sex raters. Facial and vocal attractiveness were found to positively correlate in women but not in men. We further applied geometric morphometrics and regressed facial shape coordinates on facial and vocal attractiveness ratings. In women, facial shape was linked to their facial attractiveness but there was no association between facial shape and vocal attractiveness. In men, none of these associations was significant. Having shown that women with more attractive faces possess also more attractive voices, we thus only partly supported the redundant signal hypothesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: jaroslava@usp.br.
authors.forename: Jaroslava Varella
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Valentova
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marco Antonio Corrêa
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Varella
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Havlíček
authors.affiliation: Department of Philosophy and History of Science, Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czechia.
authors.forename: Karel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kleisner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001504:Beauty; D001938:Brazil; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D018153:Czech Republic; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D014831:Voice; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Face; Geometric morphometrics; Multiple cues; Sexual selection; Signaling; Voice