Effect of Bowing on Facial Attractiveness of Other Races
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 24020101 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Takayuki Osugi (0000-0003-4701-3450, Yamagata University Hospital, corresponding author), Jun‐ichiro Kawahara (0000-0002-4096-3923, Hokkaido University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-08-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Japanese Psychological Research (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-5368 • E-ISSN: 1468-5884 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/jpr.70051 |
| OpenAlex | W7201887626 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 48 |
In recent years, the number of foreign visitors to Japan has increased rapidly. With this trend, bowing—a common greeting in Japan—is now frequently exchanged between individuals of different racial appearances. Previous studies have shown that three‐dimensional computer‐generated (3D‐CG) models performing a bowing motion are perceived as more attractive than those standing still. However, these studies have primarily used East Asian 3D‐CG models with Japanese participants, leaving unclear whether bowing similarly enhances attractiveness for individuals of different racial appearances. The present study examined the effects of bowing using 3D‐CG models representing European, South Asian, and African appearances compared to East Asian models, with both Japanese (Experiment 1) and United States (Experiment 2) participants. The results showed that Japanese participants perceived the bowing effect regardless of the models' racial appearance, while United States participants showed minimal to no bowing effect across all model types. Furthermore, experiments that independently manipulated the models' physical attractiveness (Experiments 3 and 4) confirmed that both Japanese and United States participants were similarly sensitive to physical attractiveness but differed in their response to the bowing action. These results suggest that bowing motions are interpreted consistently within each cultural population, regardless of racial and physical appearance.
Attractiveness · Bowing · Ethnic group · Physical attractiveness · Racial differences · Aesthetic Perception and Analysis · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Face Recognition and Perception
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |