Bush facial asymmetry NOT SEXY

Did you notice how asymmetric Bush's face was tonight?  The left side of his mouth and cheek drooped.

And the asymmetry was exacerbated during the debate by the fact that his left eyebrow is the one he raises.  (Someone please post a more damning screen capture / image.)

Journal of Personality and Social Psycholology, 1997 Feb;72(2):456-66

Facial asymmetry as an indicator of psychological, emotional, and physiological distress. ... negatively covaries with observer ratings of attractiveness, dominance, sexiness, and health.

Journal of Personality and Social Psycholology, 1997 Feb;72(2):456-66

Facial asymmetry as an indicator of psychological, emotional, and physiological distress.

Shackelford TK, Larsen RJ
Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, USA.

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is deviation from bilateral symmetry in morphological traits with asymmetry values that are normally distributed with a mean of 0. FA is produced by genetic or environmental perturbations of developmental design and may play a role in human sexual selection. K. Grammer and R. Thornhill (1994) found that facial FA negatively covaries with observer ratings of attractiveness, dominance, sexiness, and health. Using self-reports, observer ratings, daily diary reports, and psychophysiological measures, the authors assessed the relationship between facial FA and health in 2 samples of undergraduates (N = 101). Results partially replicate and extend those of K. Grammer and R. Thornhill (1994) and suggest that facial FA may signal psychological, emotional, and physiological distress. Discussion integrates the authors' findings with previous research on FA and suggests future research needed to clarify the role of FA in human sexual selection.

Update: Courtesy of RedDan, a 2000 photo for comparison:



(Doesn't Gore look fat? Kerry looks SO much better!)