creators_name: Ghirlanda, Stefano
creators_name: Jansson, Liselotte
creators_name: Enquist, Magnus
type: journalp
datestamp: 2006-12-03
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:56:43
metadata_visibility: show
title: Chickens prefer beautiful humans
ispublished: pub
subjects: bio-etho
subjects: bio-ani-cog
subjects: phil-mind
subjects: evol-psy
subjects: bio-ani-behav
full_text_status: public
keywords: facial attractiveness, generalization
abstract: We trained chickens to react to an average human female face but not to an average male face (or vice-versa). In a subsequent test, the animals showed preferences for faces consistent with human sexual preferences (obtained from university students). This suggests that human preferences arise from general properties of nervous systems, rather than from face-specific adaptations. We discuss this result in the light of current debate on the meaning of sexual signals, and suggest further tests of existing hypotheses about the origin of sexual preferences.

date: 2002
date_type: published
publication: Human Nature
volume: 13
pagerange: 383-389
refereed: TRUE
citation:   Ghirlanda, Stefano and Jansson, Liselotte and Enquist, Magnus  (2002) Chickens prefer beautiful humans.  [Journal (Paginated)]     
document_url: http://cogprints.org/5272/1/ghirlanda_jansson_enquist2002.pdf