Skin blood perfusion and oxygenation colour affect perceived human health

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 4; no. 4; p. e5083
• Main Authors: Stephen, Ian D, Coetzee, Vinet, Law Smith, Miriam, Perrett, David I
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 01-04-2009; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Blood; Carotenoids; Color; Deoxygenation; Ecology/Behavioral Ecology; Evolutionary Biology/Animal Behavior; Evolutionary Biology/Evolutionary Ecology; Evolutionary Biology/Sexual Behavior; Female; Females; Health; Health Status; Humans; Hypotheses; Male; Males; Mate selection; Morphology; Oxygen - metabolism; Oxygenation; Perceptions; Perfusion; Physiological aspects; Physiology; Primates; Regional Blood Flow; Reproductive status; Skin; Skin - blood supply; Symmetry; Type 2 diabetes; United Kingdom > UK; Scotland
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005083

Skin blood perfusion and oxygenation depends upon cardiovascular, hormonal and circulatory health in humans and provides socio-sexual signals of underlying physiology, dominance and reproductive status in some primates. We allowed participants to manipulate colour calibrated facial photographs along empirically-measured oxygenated and deoxygenated blood colour axes both separately and simultaneously, to optimise healthy appearance. Participants increased skin blood colour, particularly oxygenated, above basal levels to optimise healthy appearance. We show, therefore, that skin blood perfusion and oxygenation influence perceived health in a way that may be important to mate choice.