Are Facial Scars Sexy? Apparently . . .

Scars on the face are usually considered unattractive, much to the benefit of corrective plastic surgeons. Now a University of Liverpool scientist has challenged this assumption. He’s reported his findings in the Journal of Personality and Individual Differences.

The male and female participants were divided into two groups. Those in the first group were shown 8 male and 8 female faces bearing slight scars; the second group was shown the same set of images, but in their original unscarred condition. They were asked to rate how attractive they found the person in the image for a long-term or short-term relationship.

Analysis showed that the scarred versions had higher ratings for the women’s impressions of attractiveness for short-term, but not long-term, relationships. The men’s rating of female attractiveness was not affected by scarring.

The investigator, Dr Rob Burriss, suggested that women may have rated scarring as an attractive quality for short-term relationships because they found it a symbol of masculinity, a feature that’s linked to high testosterone levels and thereby an indicator of good genetic quality for mating. This could correspond to the practice of some tribes (e.g. the Yanomama tribe of Venezuela) who use face paint to accentuate scars won in ritualized fights of endurance. Perhaps facial scars obtained by dueling in turn-of-the-century Prussia served the same purpose of attracting the ladies. Present-day tattooists may be able to contribute to this story . . .

If you would like to participate online in one of Dr Burriss’ experiments, visit his website.