---
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.\n"
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chapter: ~
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creators_name:
  - family: Ghirlanda
    given: Stefano
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
  - family: Jansson
    given: Liselotte
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
  - family: Enquist
    given: Magnus
    honourific: ''
    lineage: ''
date: 2002
date_type: published
datestamp: 2006-12-03
department: ~
dir: disk0/00/00/52/72
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editors_id: []
editors_name: []
eprint_status: archive
eprintid: 5272
fileinfo: /style/images/fileicons/application_pdf.png;/5272/1/ghirlanda_jansson_enquist2002.pdf
full_text_status: public
importid: ~
institution: ~
isbn: ~
ispublished: pub
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item_issues_comment: []
item_issues_count: 0
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keywords: 'facial attractiveness, generalization'
lastmod: 2011-03-11 08:56:43
latitude: ~
longitude: ~
metadata_visibility: show
note: ~
number: ~
pagerange: 383-389
pubdom: FALSE
publication: Human Nature
publisher: ~
refereed: TRUE
referencetext: ~
relation_type: []
relation_uri: []
reportno: ~
rev_number: 12
series: ~
source: ~
status_changed: 2007-09-12 17:08:35
subjects:
  - bio-etho
  - bio-ani-cog
  - phil-mind
  - evol-psy
  - bio-ani-behav
succeeds: ~
suggestions: ~
sword_depositor: ~
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thesistype: ~
title: Chickens prefer beautiful humans
type: journalp
userid: 6801
volume: 13
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