Papers by Ian Penton-Voak
Aims: Alcohol consumption is known to be associated with risky sexual behaviours, but this relati... more Aims: Alcohol consumption is known to be associated with risky sexual behaviours, but this relationship
may be complex and bidirectional. We explored whether alcohol consumption leads to the
consumer being rated as more attractive than sober individuals.
Methods: Heterosexual social alcohol consumers completed an attractiveness-rating task, in which
they were presented with pairs of photographs depicting the same individual, photographed while
sober and after having consumed alcohol (either 0.4 or 0.8 g/kg), and required to decide which image
was more attractive.
Results: Photographs of individuals who had consumed a low dose of alcohol (equivalent to 250 ml
of wine at 14% alcohol by volume for a 70 kg individual) were rated as more attractive than photographs
of sober individuals. This was not observed for photographs of individuals who had consumed
a low dose of alcohol.
Conclusion: In addition to perceiving others as more attractive, a mildly intoxicated alcohol consumer
may also be perceived as more attractive by others. This in turn may play a role in the relationship
between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviour.
Many studies have explored associations between depression and facial emotion recognition (ER). H... more Many studies have explored associations between depression and facial emotion recognition (ER). However, these studies have used various paradigms and multiple stimulus sets, rendering comparisons difficult. Few studies have attempted to determine the magnitude of any effect and whether studies are properly powered to detect it. We conducted a meta-analysis to synthesize the findings across studies on ER in depressed individuals compared to controls. Studies of ER that included depressed and control samples and published before June 2013 were identified in PubMed and Web of Science. Studies using schematic faces, neuroimaging studies and drug treatment studies were excluded. Meta-analysis of k = 22 independent samples indicated impaired recognition of emotion [k = 22, g = -0.16, 95% confidence interval (CI) -0.25 to -0.07, p < 0.001]. Critically, this was observed for anger, disgust, fear, happiness and surprise (k's = 7-22, g's = -0.42 to -0.17, p's < 0.08), but not sadness (k = 21, g = -0.09, 95% CI -0.23 to +0.06, p = 0.23). Study-level characteristics did not appear to be associated with the observed effect. Power analysis indicated that a sample of approximately 615 cases and 615 controls would be required to detect this association with 80% power at an alpha level of 0.05. These findings suggest that the ER impairment reported in the depression literature exists across all basic emotions except sadness. The effect size, however, is small, and previous studies have been underpowered.
The serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) duloxetine is an effective treatment for ma... more The serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) duloxetine is an effective treatment for major depression and generalised anxiety disorder. Neuropsychological models of antidepressant drug action suggest therapeutic effects might be mediated by the early correction of maladaptive biases in emotion processing, including the recognition of emotional expressions. Sub-chronic administration of duloxetine (for two weeks) produces adaptive changes in neural circuitry implicated in emotion processing; however, its effects on emotional expression recognition are unknown. Forty healthy participants were randomised to receive either 14 days of duloxetine (60 mg/day, titrated from 30 mg after three days) or matched placebo (with sham titration) in a double-blind, between-groups, repeated-measures design. On day 0 and day 14 participants completed a computerised emotional expression recognition task that measured sensitivity to the six primary emotions. Thirty-eight participants (19 per group) completed their course of tablets and were included in the analysis. Results provide evidence that duloxetine, compared to placebo, may reduce the accurate recognition of sadness. Drug effects were driven by changes in participants' ability to correctly detect subtle expressions of sadness, with greater change observed in the placebo relative to the duloxetine group. These effects occurred in the absence of changes in mood. Our preliminary findings require replication, but complement recent evidence that sadness recognition is a therapeutic target in major depression, and a mechanism through which SNRIs could resolve negative biases in emotion processing to achieve therapeutic effects.
Studies of social categorization have shown that humans robustly categorize others along dimensio... more Studies of social categorization have shown that humans robustly categorize others along dimensions of sex, age, kinship, and coalition. Drawing on a functional perspective, we predicted that humans should also categorize others along the dimension of morality (i.e., violating vs. upholding moral norms). In a study employing the memory confusion paradigm, university undergraduate participants (N = 39) were presented with same-sex targets randomly matched with sentences indicating violation or upholding of moral norms, and with sentences indicating competence or incompetence. Results showed that participants spontaneously categorized along morality but not along competence, suggesting that morality (beyond general valence) may be an important dimension of social categorization.
Over the last decade, a growing literature has shown that women in the fertile phase of the menst... more Over the last decade, a growing literature has shown that women in the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle demonstrate stronger preferences for men with masculine traits than they do when in the non-fertile phases of the cycle (see for recent reviews). In a recent article, Harris (in press; Sex Roles) failed to replicate this increase in women's preferences for masculine faces when women are near ovulation. Harris represented her study as one of only three studies on the topic, and as the largest of the existing studies. There are, however, many more studies on menstrual cycle shifts in preferences for facial masculinity in the published literature, including one that is 2.5 times larger in size than the Harris study. In this article, we review the evidence for cyclic shifts in mate preferences and related behaviors and discuss weaknesses of Harris's methods. Considered as a whole, the evidence for menstrual cycle shifts in women's preferences and behaviors is compelling, despite the failure of replication reported by Harris.
The ''good genes'' explanation of attractiveness posits that mate preferences favour healthy indi... more The ''good genes'' explanation of attractiveness posits that mate preferences favour healthy individuals due to direct and indirect benefits associated with the selection of a healthy mate. Consequently, attractiveness judgements are likely to reflect judgements of apparent health. One physical characteristic that may inform health judgements is fluctuating asymmetry as it may act as a visual marker for genetic quality and developmental stability. Consistent with these suggestions, a number of studies have found relationships between facial symmetry and facial attractiveness. In Study 1, the interplay between facial symmetry, attractiveness, and judgements of apparent health was explored within a partial correlation design. Findings suggest that the attractiveness -symmetry relationship is mediated by a link between judgements of apparent health and facial symmetry. In Study 2, an opposite-sex bias in sensitivity to facial symmetry was observed when judging health. Thus, perceptual analysis of symmetry may be an adaptation facilitating discrimination between potential mates on the basis of apparent health. The findings of both studies are consistent with a ''good genes'' explanation of the attractiveness -symmetry relationship and problematic for the claim that symmetry is attractive as a by-product of the ease with which the visual recognition system processes symmetric stimuli. D
Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 2014
The idea that symmetry in facial traits is associated with attractiveness because it reliably ind... more The idea that symmetry in facial traits is associated with attractiveness because it reliably indicates good physiological health, particularly to potential sexual partners, has generated an extensive literature on the evolution of human mate choice. However, large-scale tests of this hypothesis using direct or longitudinal assessments of physiological health are lacking. Here, we investigate relationships between facial fluctuating asymmetry (FA) and detailed individual health histories in a sample (n ¼ 4732) derived from a large longitudinal study (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) in South West England. Facial FA was assessed using geometric morphometric analysis of facial landmark configurations derived from three-dimensional facial scans taken at 15 years of age. Facial FA was not associated with longitudinal measures of childhood health. However, there was a very small negative association between facial FA and IQ that remained significant after correcting for a positive allometric relationship between FA and face size. Overall, this study does not support the idea that facial symmetry acts as a reliable cue to physiological health. Consequently, if preferences for facial symmetry do represent an evolved adaptation, then they probably function not to provide marginal fitness benefits by choosing between relatively healthy individuals on the basis of small differences in FA, but rather evolved to motivate avoidance of markers of substantial developmental disturbance and significant pathology.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Jan 7, 2014
A large literature proposes that preferences for exaggerated sex typicality in human faces (mascu... more A large literature proposes that preferences for exaggerated sex typicality in human faces (masculinity/femininity) reflect a long evolutionary history of sexual and social selection. This proposal implies that dimorphism was important to judgments of attractiveness and personality in ancestral environments. It is difficult to evaluate, however, because most available data come from large-scale, industrialized, urban populations. Here, we report the results for 12 populations with very diverse levels of economic development. Surprisingly, preferences for exaggerated sex-specific traits are only found in the novel, highly developed environments. Similarly, perceptions that masculine males look aggressive increase strongly with development and, specifically, urbanization. These data challenge the hypothesis that facial dimorphism was an important ancestral signal of heritable mate value. One possibility is that highly developed environments provide novel opportunities to discern relat...
Biology letters, 2014
Recently, associations between facial structure and aggressive behaviour have been reported. Spec... more Recently, associations between facial structure and aggressive behaviour have been reported. Specifically, the facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR) is thought to link to aggression, although it is unclear whether this association is related to a specific dimension of aggression, or to a more generalized concept of dominance behaviour. Similarly, an association has been proposed between facial masculinity and dominant and aggressive behaviour, but, to date, this has not been formally tested. Because masculinity and fWHR are negatively correlated, it is unlikely that both signal similar behaviours. Here, we thus tested these associations and show that: (i) fWHR is related to both self-reported dominance and aggression; (ii) physical aggression, verbal aggression and anger, but not hostility are associated with fWHR; (iii) there is no evidence for a sex difference in associations between fWHR and aggression; and (iv) the facial masculinity index does not predict dominance or aggression....
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Papers by Ian Penton-Voak
may be complex and bidirectional. We explored whether alcohol consumption leads to the
consumer being rated as more attractive than sober individuals.
Methods: Heterosexual social alcohol consumers completed an attractiveness-rating task, in which
they were presented with pairs of photographs depicting the same individual, photographed while
sober and after having consumed alcohol (either 0.4 or 0.8 g/kg), and required to decide which image
was more attractive.
Results: Photographs of individuals who had consumed a low dose of alcohol (equivalent to 250 ml
of wine at 14% alcohol by volume for a 70 kg individual) were rated as more attractive than photographs
of sober individuals. This was not observed for photographs of individuals who had consumed
a low dose of alcohol.
Conclusion: In addition to perceiving others as more attractive, a mildly intoxicated alcohol consumer
may also be perceived as more attractive by others. This in turn may play a role in the relationship
between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviour.
may be complex and bidirectional. We explored whether alcohol consumption leads to the
consumer being rated as more attractive than sober individuals.
Methods: Heterosexual social alcohol consumers completed an attractiveness-rating task, in which
they were presented with pairs of photographs depicting the same individual, photographed while
sober and after having consumed alcohol (either 0.4 or 0.8 g/kg), and required to decide which image
was more attractive.
Results: Photographs of individuals who had consumed a low dose of alcohol (equivalent to 250 ml
of wine at 14% alcohol by volume for a 70 kg individual) were rated as more attractive than photographs
of sober individuals. This was not observed for photographs of individuals who had consumed
a low dose of alcohol.
Conclusion: In addition to perceiving others as more attractive, a mildly intoxicated alcohol consumer
may also be perceived as more attractive by others. This in turn may play a role in the relationship
between alcohol consumption and risky sexual behaviour.