Red in the face: One of the computer manipulated faces used for the study. It looks healthy because it appears to be flushed with oxygenated blood, making it bright and rosy.
Credit: Perceptionlab.com
Brooks, who was not involved with the research, said the study was well-designed and offered possible applications for its findings. “It would not be surprising if advertising agencies promoting health products were to use spokespeople with redder than average skin,” Brooks said.
Leigh Simmons, an evolutionary biologist with the University of Western Australia in Perth, said a healthy-looking face could provide an advantage in finding a mate because a healthy partner could offer benefits such as avoiding infections.
He added that other facial features, including symmetry and 'averageness', have already been linked to attractiveness. To add facial colour to that list, Simmons said, “the next step will be to ask whether optimal levels of facial redness… influence reproductive success.”
