Do prevailing environmental factors influence human preferences for facial morphology?

Prevailing environmental factors influence preferences for attractive traits across many species. In humans, debate surrounds the role of environmental pathogens and economic development in determining facial attractiveness. We tested whether women and men’s preferences for facial dimorphism, symmetry, skin tone, and adiposity differ among Melanesian participants from 3 islands (Espiritu Santo, Efate, and Tanna) in Vanuatu in the South West Pacific. These islands vary in their historical malarial pathogens respectively from pronounced to almost absent and are characterized by within and between island differences in economic development, ranging from urbanized market-based economies to remote rural horticultural communities. We found no support for the hypothesis that masculine male faces or feminine female faces are more attractive in environments with higher exposure to malarial pathogens or urban development. However, preferences for facial symmetry were highest in islands with higher malarial rates, possibly as symmetry indicates health and guides mate selection in disease rich environments. However, past evidence linking symmetry and health is weak, and we therefore interpret our findings cautiously. Women from peri-urban communities preferred male faces with lighter skin to rural and urban participants. Men from urban areas stated higher preferences for symmetry than peri-urban and rural male participants. All other effects were not statistically significant. While cross-cultural studies comparing preferences between disparate cultures provide evidence of associations between environmental effects and preferences for some facial traits, our results suggest these associations might not always persist at more fine-grain scales within small-scale societies.

广泛存在于众多物种中的环境因子，会对个体的吸引力特质偏好产生影响。就人类而言，学界围绕环境病原体与经济发展在塑造面部吸引力过程中所扮演的角色仍存在诸多争论。本研究针对西南太平洋瓦努阿图境内3座岛屿（埃斯皮里图桑托岛、埃法特岛与塔纳岛）的美拉尼西亚（Melanesian）参与者展开测试，探究男女对面部两性异形（facial dimorphism）、面部对称性、肤色以及体脂量的偏好是否存在差异。

这些岛屿的历史疟疾病原体暴露程度差异显著，从高暴露水平逐步过渡至近乎完全无暴露；同时各岛屿内部及岛屿之间的经济发展水平亦存在分野，涵盖了以城市化市场为基础的经济体至偏远乡村园艺种植社群的多种类型。

本研究未发现支持以下假说的证据：在疟疾病原体暴露程度更高或城市化发展更充分的环境中，男性化的男性面孔与女性化的女性面孔会更具吸引力。不过，在疟疾发病率更高的岛屿中，参与者对面部对称性的偏好程度最高——这或许是因为在疾病高发的环境中，对称性可作为健康状态的指征，进而指导择偶行为。但既往关于对称性与健康关联的研究证据较为薄弱，因此本研究对所得结果的解读需持谨慎态度。

相较于乡村与城市群体，城郊社区的女性更偏好肤色较浅的男性面孔。城市男性群体对面部对称性的偏好程度，高于城郊与乡村男性群体。其余所有效应均未达到统计学显著性水平。

尽管针对不同文化间偏好差异的跨文化研究，已为环境效应与部分面部特质偏好之间的关联提供了证据，但本研究结果显示，这类关联在小型社群内部更精细的尺度下未必始终成立。