More than just a pretty face? The relationship between immune function and perceived facial attractiveness
Data files
May 10, 2021 version files 230.43 KB
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ImmuneAttractiveness.csv
131.73 KB
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ImmuneAttractiveness.sav
98.69 KB
Feb 21, 2022 version files 4.28 MB
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Attractive_Faces_Ratings_dryad.csv
2.41 MB
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Attractive_Faces_Ratings_dryad.sav
1.62 MB
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CFA_4.INP
707 B
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COV_2.INP
763 B
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ImmuneAttractiveness.csv
129.14 KB
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ImmuneAttractiveness.sav
96.75 KB
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NK_INT.inp
834 B
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NK_SRH.inp
691 B
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prolif_NOINT.INP
795 B
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README_IMMUNE_ATT.txt
10.15 KB
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SL_INTS1.INP
1.11 KB
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SPMV4.inp
610 B
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SRH_COV2.INP
666 B
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SRH_NEW_M3.inp
811 B
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SRH_prolif.INP
721 B
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SRH_SL.INP
793 B
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SRH_staph.INP
848 B
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SRH_stimcyto.inp
694 B
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staph_MODEL1_MEN.INP
988 B
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Staph_MODEL1_WOMEN.INP
988 B
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staph_MODEL1.INP
996 B
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stimcyto_NOINT.inp
775 B
Abstract
It has long been hypothesized that attractiveness provides a cue to a target’s health and immunocompetence. However, much of the research testing this hypothesis has relied on a small number of indirect proxies of immune function and the results of this research have been mixed. Here, we build on this past research, examining the relationship between target attractiveness and: (a) self-reported health, (b) in vivo measures of inflammation and white blood cell count / composition, and (c) in vitro tests of targets’ immune function, including (c1) leukocyte proliferation in response to immunological stimulants, (c2) phagocytosis of Escherichia coli bioparticles, (c3) NK cell-mediated lysis of target tumor cells, and (c4) Staphylococcus aureus growth in isolated plasma. Results revealed multiple, sometimes sex-differentiated, relationships between targets’ immune function and others’ perceptions of their attractiveness. Together, this work suggests complex, often sex-differentiated relationships between immune function, health, and attractiveness.