Insight: Research proves attractive people have stronger immune system.
According to studies, there are links between facial attractiveness and immunological function.
Texas Christian University Research proves attractive people have stronger immune system.
A team from Texas Christian University looked at 159 individuals who were either students or residents of the surrounding community in a study published Wednesday in the scholarly journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
The men and women were prescreened to ensure they had no history of mental illness or chronic depression, were non-obese, had no acute illnesses, were not using hormonal contraceptives, were willing to abstain from steroidal and anti-inflammatory medications, exercise, and alcohol consumption for two days prior to participation, and were willing to fast on the morning of participation.
All female subjects were invited to take photos and have their blood tested while their sex steroid levels were low during the early follicular phase of their ovulatory cycle.
They also answered compliance questions on the day of the test and took off their make-up before being photographed from the neck up. They were told to have a neutral expression on their faces.
Their height and weight were then assessed, and 85 milliliters of blood, as well as plasma, were taken and frozen at minus 80 degrees Celsius.
Hematology—the study of blood and blood problems—required a separate tube of whole blood.
In “Phase II,” Amazon’s Medical Turk survey hosting platform was used to recruit 482 individuals to score the subjects’ facial attractiveness. Due to technical problems, seven shots were eliminated from Phase II, leaving 152 photos.
After that, the researchers compiled the scores and compared them to the findings of the blood tests.
According to the findings, attractive targets had higher rates of E. coli bioparticle phagocytosis (when a cell uses its plasma membrane to ingest foreign particles), higher basophil white blood cell counts, lower neutrophil white blood cell counts, higher natural killer cell cytotoxicity, and slower rates of Staphylococcus aureus growth in plasma, according to the findings.
In women, the effect was stronger than in men.
According to the writers, facial attractiveness is “frequently stable throughout time and space” in literature.
Throughout recorded human history, features such as clear skin, prominent cheekbones, bright eyes, and full, red lips have been deemed attractive,” they wrote, adding that attractiveness perceptions could “play an important role in guiding the choice of partners with high-functioning immune systems.”
Many components of innate immunity are regulated by hereditary variables, according to the researchers, and “undoubtedly provide their bearers with greater potential to provide direct advantages as well.”
It’s also likely, they noted, that the potential direct advantages are sex-differentiated, which would require more research.
The current study’s findings show that facial attractiveness can reveal information about one’s immune function, especially when it comes to one’s ability to effectively handle (mainly) bacterial assaults.
In addition, facial attractiveness may indicate a man’s ability to effectively manage viral risks and neoplastic progression.
Although more research is needed to confirm these findings, the current research implies that there is a link between facial attractiveness and immune function. They came to a conclusion.
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