Makeup

as an
Adaptive Mating
Behavior
The following study found that women single and taken women
wear approximately the same amount of makeup. The study also
found that men do not prefer women who wear heavy makeup.
Overall the study suggests that women do not wear makeup for the
purpose of attracting mates.

 Abstract

The purpose of the following study is to determine if makeup is an adaptive mating behavior in

females. To address this question, we designed and released a female-only survey asking single and taken

women how many makeup products they wear on a daily basis. We also released a male-only survey to

gauge whether men prefer women with no, medium, or heavy makeup. The results of the survey suggest

that single and taken women wear the same amount of makeup products on a daily basis. The results also

suggest that men most prefer women who wear medium amounts of makeup, and least prefer women who

wear heavy makeup. The conclusion of this study is that women do not wear makeup for the purpose of

attracting mates, such that makeup does not seem to be an adaptive mating strategy for females.
 Wearing makeup is a cross-cultural behavior that has been prevalent in human societies for up to

12,000 years (Montell). In the United States alone, the cosmetics industry is worth $84 billion, which

leads us to wonder if wearing makeup provides women with some form of an evolutionary advantage

(Duncan). In light of this question, the purpose of this study is to determine if wearing makeup is an

adaptive mating behavior in women. Our hypothesis is that wearing makeup is an adaptive mating

behavior in women, such that wearing makeup increases a woman’s attractiveness and thus increases her

chances of finding a mate. Our hypothesis is rooted in the logic that from a Darwinian perspective, we

expect individuals to only pursue behaviors and investments that increase their chances of reproducing.

Considering that makeup is expensive and thus buying makeup is an investment that incurs a cost to the

individual, we reason that the only condition that would motivate women to wear makeup is that makeup

increases one’s attractiveness to potential mates.

In order to test our hypothesis, we created and released two surveys to all of our social media

followers via Facebook. The first survey was a female-only survey, in which we first asked the participant

if she was single or taken (Figure 1). Providing the participants with a list of popular makeup products (ie.

Mascara, blush, etc.), we then asked the participants to indicate which of the following makeup products

they wear on a daily basis (Figure 1). The second survey was a male-only survey, in which we showed the

participants three pictures of the same woman wearing no makeup, medium makeup, and heavy makeup

(Figure 2). We then asked the participants to identify which woman they thought was the most attractive.

In both of the surveys, we notified the participants that their responses would be kept anonymous.

If our hypothesis is supported, we expect that on average, single women will wear more makeup

products on a daily basis than taken women, and that the majority of men surveyed will find the woman

wearing heavy makeup to be the most attractive (Figure 3, Figure 4). This is because single women are

presumably still looking for mates, and thus should be more inclined than taken women to try and attract

mates by wearing makeup. Moreover, in order for makeup to increase the chances of a female finding a

mate, males must find women who wear more makeup to be more attractive. If our hypothesis is not

supported, we predict that on average, single and taken women will wear approximately the same amount
of makeup products on a daily basis (Figure 5). We also expect that males will find the different amounts

of makeup to be equally attractive (Figure 6).

Overall, we obtained 151 responses to the female-only survey, and 110 responses for the male-

only survey. The results depicted that on average, single and taken women wear approximately the same

amount of makeup products on a daily basis (Figure 7). It is also interesting to note that the majority of

both single and taken women wore no makeup on a daily frequency (Figure 8, Figure 9). In this way, the

results of the female-only survey were consistent with the predictions we made under our null hypothesis.

In terms of the male-only survey, the results depicted that majority of participants found the woman

wearing medium makeup to be the most attractive. The male participants also favored the woman wearing

no makeup over the woman with heavy makeup, such that the lowest percentage of men found the woman

wearing heavy makeup to be the most attractive (Figure 10). These results are also inconsistent with the

predictions we made if our hypothesis was supported. Thus, the results of this study reject our initial

hypothesis.

Overall, this study suggests that women do not wear makeup for the purpose of attracting mates.

This study also suggests that there is a dichotomy between male preferences for makeup and female

makeup-wearing behavior. However, it should be noted that there were a variety of weaknesses in the

study that may undermine its findings. First and foremost, the study did not control for age, income, or

sexual orientation of the participants taking the survey. Secondly, the survey sample was non random and

far too small to be representative of the opinions of all men and women in WEIRD cultures. Finally, not

all women operate in an environment where they are free to choose how much makeup they wear on a

daily basis. Circumstances like this could lead us to believe that women are wearing less makeup than

they would like to under no restrictions.

Although this study does not support the notion that makeup is an adaptive mating behavior, this

study does not in any way address or disprove the notion that makeup could provide women with other

adaptive benefits. Considering that the male participants favored light makeup, perhaps wearing light

makeup provides women with a more likeable or polished look, such that women wearing light makeup
may have an advantage in a job interview or academic setting. In this way, an interesting follow-up

experiment for this study would be a survey that asks participants to envision themselves as hiring

managers at a local company. We would then show the participants photos of women in professional

attire wearing no makeup and light makeup, and then ask participants how likely they would be to hire

each of the women on a scale of 1-5.

Our hypothesis would be that wearing light makeup makes women appear to be more likeable

and prepared, such that women wearing light makeup will be more likely to be hired than women wearing

no makeup. If our hypothesis is supported, we would expect that the average score for women with light

makeup would be higher than the average score for women with no makeup. If our hypothesis is not

supported, the average score would be the same for both types of women. If the results of the survey

support our hypothesis, the study would suggest that wearing makeup could be adaptive in that it

increases a woman’s likelihood of acquiring a job that provides income that is necessary for survival.
 Appendix:

Figure 1: Female-Only Survey

Figure 2: Male-Only Survey

Source: Parker, Brinton. “How People Reacted To Her, With & Without Makeup.” Bustle, Bustle, 22 Feb. 2018,
www.bustle.com/articles/26095-how-do-people-react-to-different-levels-of-makeup-i-decided-to-find-out.
Figure 3: Female-only survey results if hypothesis is supported

On average, single women wear more makeup products on a daily basis than taken women

Figure 4: Male-only survey results if hypothesis is supported

Males perceive women who wear the most makeup to be the most attractive. Males perceive women who
wear no makeup to be the least attractive.
Figure 5: Female-only survey if hypothesis is not supported

On average, single and taken females wear the same amount of makeup products on a daily basis

Figure 6: Male-only survey if hypothesis is not supported

Males find different amounts of makeup to be equally attractive

Figure 7: Female-only survey results

Single and taken women wear approximately the same amount of makeup products on a daily basis.
Figure 8: Summary statistics for single women
Mean: 2.7285714285714
Median: 2
Range: 11
Mode: 0, appeared 18 times

Largest: 11
Smallest 0

Count: 70
On average, single women use 2.73 makeup products on a daily basis. The majority of single women
wear no makeup on a daily basis.

Figure 9: Summary statistics for taken women

Mean: 2.7530864197531

Median: 2
Range: 11
Mode: 0, appeared 20 times
Largest: 11
Smallest 0

Count: 81
On average, taken women use 2.75 makeup products on a daily basis. The majority of taken women wear
no makeup on a daily basis.

Figure 10: Male-only survey results

The majority of men found the woman wearing medium makeup to be the most attractive. The least
amount of men found the woman wearing heavy makeup to be the most attractive.
 Works Cited
Parker, Brinton. “How People Reacted To Her, With & Without Makeup.” Bustle, Bustle, 22 Feb.
2018, www.bustle.com/articles/26095-how-do-people-react-to-different-levels-of-makeup-i-decided-to-
find-out.
Duncan, Eric. “Topic: Cosmetics Industry in the U.S.” Www.statista.com,
www.statista.com/topics/1008/cosmetics-industry/.
Montell, Amanda. “From 4000 BC to Today: The Fascinating History of Men and
Makeup.” Byrdie, Byrdie, 2 Feb. 2017, www.byrdie.com/history-makeup-gender.