Admiring handsome men and stunning women is a natural reflex. Everyone has an appreciation for beauty. However, for a long time, there have been many rumors suggesting that frequently looking at beautiful faces or celebrities can provide hidden benefits for the brain.
According to research in “evolutionary psychology”, viewing high-value images of attractive members of the opposite sex can temporarily enhance memory and cognitive abilities for both men and women.
Everyone appreciates beauty. (Illustrative image).
East Carolina University in the United States conducted two experiments to verify the impact and benefits of looking at different faces on brain activity in both men and women.
In the first experiment, the research team selected 58 college students, who were randomly assigned to observe 10 faces of the opposite sex for 7 seconds each. 50% of the subjects viewed more attractive or beautiful faces; the remaining group looked at more ordinary faces.
The research team further tested the memory capabilities of the subjects (on a 3-point scale), with results showing that men who saw attractive faces scored higher on memory recall (2.81 points) compared to those who saw ordinary faces (1.50 points); the difference was not significant (2.44 points for the handsome face group and 2.79 points for the ordinary face group).
The second experiment involved 123 students, using 10 photos of the opposite sex’s faces like the previous experiment, but with a different methodology. The subjects were divided into three groups.
- Group 1: Students viewed beautiful faces first and then ordinary faces.
- Group 2 did the opposite.
- Group 3 only looked at ordinary faces from start to finish.
The test results indicated that compared to the other two groups, subjects in the first group recalled more details during the memory test, and their attention, memory, and executive functions of the brain improved, especially among female subjects.
However, interestingly, the male brain also showed effects. They experienced a short-term memory boost when looking at beautiful women.
D. Baker Jr, the author of the study, stated: “Previous literature has suggested that men may experience transient cognitive decline when interacting with attractive members of the opposite sex, depleting their mental resources while trying to impress. However, this finding was not observed in our study.“
Nonetheless, D. Baker Jr also acknowledged that his new study has several limitations: “Compared to real-life interactions, merely looking at images of the opposite sex is less stressful and may stimulate the brain differently than actual interactions.”
Regarding why viewing “beautiful faces” is associated with increased short-term memory in the brain, Baker explained that from an evolutionary perspective, memory is a fundamental awareness related to essential survival skills. Seeing attractive faces encourages individuals to develop many traits “beneficial for reproduction,” such as pursuing short-term mating goals, thus enhancing attention, memory, and executive function.
Demonstrating good memory and quick thinking is a way to show one has desirable traits for reproduction, making them feel worthy of being chosen by a partner.
When faced with women, men’s IQ tends to drop
Although looking at images of attractive faces may benefit the brain, it can pose a challenge for men when talking and interacting with the opposite sex.
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology showed that just interacting face-to-face with women can temporarily impair men’s cognitive functions, even affecting their behavior such as gestures, demeanor, eye contact, and speech.
The research team from the Netherlands selected 71 students with an average age of 21. The subjects were required to complete tasks related to cognitive function under the gaze of the opposite sex via remote video.
The results indicated that men who were observed by women for an extended period performed worse on tasks and had lower work efficiency. In contrast, no such results were found among women.
Research author Sanne Nauts explained that based on evolutionary biological capabilities, males are always on the lookout for potential mating opportunities with females, whether the host is in a conscious or unconscious state.
As a result, men are more likely to perceive relatively neutral situations from a sexual perspective than women, such as:
“She is looking at me; I must behave well. If I perform poorly, my sexual value will decrease.”
“We must keep a ‘cool head’ in front of women, avoiding foolish behavior; we must be masculine and polite before her.”
Nauts stated that the results may directly impact the social atmosphere, which demands that men today be more masculine, assertive, and emotionally restrained. This not only leads to a decline in men’s cognitive functions but also creates significant pressure to express their feelings and spirit.
