Colors help distinguish gender

Our brains have sex recognition functions based on facial and color characteristics, according to a study published in the Journal of Vision. Professor of psychology Frédéric Gosselin and the University of Université de Montréal team found that the color of the mouth and the eyebrows is very important for quick sex identification.

Nicolas Dupuis-Roy, the lead author of the study, said: 'As a teenager, gender differences increase in the nose, chin, mouth, jaw, eyes and general shape of the face. However, we still don't know how the brain recognizes those differences. '

To discover this, Dupuis-Roy and colleagues gave 30 participants a study of 300 Caucasian photographs. Participants are asked to identify gender based on photos that some parts of the face are obscured using a technology called Bubbles.

In the study of Université de Montréal University, the study subjects were asked to identify gender based on photos that parts of the face were obscured, using a technology called Bubbles.(Photo: Nicolas Dupuis-Roy - Université de Montréal / Journal of Vision)

The study found that eyes and mouths, especially shapes and colors, are particularly important in gender identification. Unlike previous studies that suggest that the distance between the eyelids and eyebrows is a factor for sex identification, the study found that the shape of the red and green areas around the mouth and eyes lead to gender discrimination. count.

Dupuis-Roy said: 'Studies show that a face is identified as male if the skin is redder, and is female if the skin is greener. However, this is the opposite in the mouth. Women's mouths are often redder, and our brains understand this trait as a woman '.

He added: 'Men's faces often reflect less light around the eyebrows. This is because their eyebrows are often thicker. The same thing happens in parts like the upper lip and chin '.