The nose knows: Nasal temperature tracks facial attractiveness, not social categorization

Abstract

Facial attractiveness plays a central role in first impressions, social interactions, and romantic relationships, yet remains difficult to quantify objectively due to its subjective and socially shaped nature. In the present study, we examined whether facial attractiveness and its modulation by social information can be captured using functional infrared thermal imaging (fITI). Participants rated the attractiveness of faces that were randomly preceded by an autism label. Although such labels influenced explicit attractiveness judgments, particularly among male participants, they did not modulate facial thermal responses. Instead, nose temperature systematically increased or decreased when participants rated faces as attractive or unattractive, respectively. Notably, temperature differences emerged several seconds after image onset, and for female faces, mean attractiveness ratings positively correlated with changes in nose temperature. Together, these findings reveal a dissociation between socially shaped explicit evaluations and autonomic physiological responses, highlighting the potential of fITI as a fully non-invasive tool for capturing implicit affective engagement with facial attractiveness.