Effect of mortality salience on facial preferences in females

Abstract

Prior research has shown that when individuals are reminded of their mortality, they are more likely to adhere strongly to cultural norms and react more unfavorably towards those who do not uphold those cultural norms than individuals who perform a control task. Previous research has also shown that individuals who were reminded of their mortality show an increased desire for offspring as compared to individuals who were not reminded of their mortality .The present research investigated whether being reminded of mortality affects facial preference judgments in women. Prior research on mate selection has shown that women prefer more masculine faces when they are ovulating (i.e., high risk for pregnancy) than when they are experiencing menses (i.e., low risk for pregnancy). Furthermore, pregnant women prefer less masculine mates than non-pregnant women. The present research tested the hypothesis that reminding women of their mortality would increase their preference for masculine features in male faces. Women who were not taking estrogen-based contraception were tested either during their menses or during the week of ovulation. The results showed that mortality salience influenced facial preference choices in women.