Beautiful men are less likely to catch a cold, but beautiful women get sick as often as others.
Scientists claim that physical appeal and a strong immune system are interconnected. A recent study suggests that the beauty of the face indicates immune reactivity in men. However, the researchers led by Markus Rantala of the University of Turku, Finland, claim that the same can not be said about women.
Scientists inoculated 52 young Latvian woman against hepatitis B and measured the number of antibodies developed. They also measured the level of cortisol, which is indicative of stress. Then they took photographs of the women and asked 18 heterosexual male students to assess their appeal.
Rantala says that, in contrast to the men’s results, women’s immune response (ie, the ability to produce antibodies) is not associated with face attractiveness.
The measurement of cortisol levels showed that women, like men, seem less attractive when they are under stress.
