2025/05/26 by Bastian Jaeger, Berno Bucker, Jacques van der Meulen +1 · 1 voice
Psychology · Business, Management and Accounting · #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies #Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification
paper · doi:10.1177/03010066251337353
openalex publication_date 2025/05/26 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16
People across cultures engage in various practices that alter their appearance (e.g., makeup, tanning, facial aesthetic treatment). Theories in social and evolutionary psychology propose that the primary function of these practices is to create an appearance perceived more positively by others, ultimately resulting in more favorable outcomes in social, romantic, or professional relations. In two preregistered studies that improved upon and extended prior work, we tested the effect of popular types of minimally invasive facial aesthetic treatment on how people are perceived by others. Study 1 (2,720 raters, 114 targets) showed that treatment significantly increased perceived attractiveness (a 0.09-point change on a seven-point scale), but not perceived approachability (e.g., trustworthiness) or capability (e.g., competence). Study 2 (481 raters, 81 targets) showed that treatment significantly increased targets' desirability as a short-term romantic partner (a 0.10-point change on a seven-point scale) and as a platonic friend (a 0.08-point change on a seven-point scale), but not their desirability as a long-term romantic partner. Thus, our results suggest that a single session of minimally invasive facial aesthetic treatment leads to more positive perceptions on dimensions related to attractiveness, but these effects are relatively small.