Jessie Peissig¹, Kareena Brennan², Rachel Salamone¹; ¹California State University Fullerton, ²California State University Long Beach

Many features of the face have been studied in relation to attractiveness. However, there are very few studies that look specifically at eyebrows. The worldwide market for eyebrow products was estimated to be $5.5 billion in 2023, suggesting eyebrows play an important role in the perception of facial attractiveness. This study explored specific features of eyebrows that can be manipulated with easy changes, like makeup and tweezing, to see how they may related to attractiveness. Different conditions were created to change the thickness, thinness, darkness, and lightness of the eyebrows. Both younger (n=171) and older adults (n=36) participated in this study, to test for any generational or age-related differences. Participants were shown 100 images of faces of younger men and women and then asked to rate how attractive they perceived each face. For younger participants, the main effect of eyebrow type was significant, F(4, 170) = 5.10, p < .0005. This indicates that participants responded differently to the different eyebrow conditions. Planned contrast tests showed that overall, the original eyebrows were rated as more attractive than the lighter eyebrows (t = 4.45, p<.001), the thicker eyebrows (t = 3.96, p<.001), the thinner eyebrows (t = 3.96, p<.001), and the darker eyebrows (t = 2.65, p < .05). Older participants showed a similar pattern, with a significant main effect of eyebrow type, F(4, 35) = 6.46, p < .0005. Planned contrasts showed that the original eyebrows were rated as more attractive than the lighter eyebrows (t = 2.69, p<.01), the thinner eyebrows (t = 3.71, p<.001), and the darker eyebrows (t = 2.55, p < .05), but not thicker eyebrows (t = 1.61, p>.05). Overall, participants rated the original eyebrow condition as more attractive than most of the other conditions, indicating a preference for natural eyebrows.