Journal of Cultural and Evolutionary Psychology, 5(2007)1–4, 1–11 DOI: 10.1556/JCEP.5.2007.1–4.1 1589–5254 © 2007 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest THE VALENCE OF EXPERIENCES WITH FACES INFLUENCES GENERALIZED PREFERENCES BENEDICT C. JONES *1 , LISA M. DEBRUINE 1 , ANTHONY C. LITTLE 2 , DAVID R. FEINBERG 3 1 School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, UK 2 School of Biology, University of Liverpool, UK 3 Department of Psychology, Harvard University, USA Abstract. Although it is well-established that generalized face preferences influence a wide range of social outcomes, little is known about the proximate mechanisms through which such preferences develop. In two experiments we show that preferences for composites of faces that had been seen paired with an aversive auditory stimulus were significantly weaker than preferences for composites of faces that had been seen paired with a relatively neutral auditory stimulus, demonstrating that the valence of participants’ experiences with individual faces influences preferences for novel, physically similar faces. While previous findings for experience with faces on subsequent preferences have emphasized the positive effects of familiarity on attraction to novel, physically similar faces, here we emphasize the effects of the valence of peoples’ experiences and show that negative experiences can decrease preferences for familiar configurations of facial cues. Keywords: INTRODUCTION Face preferences influence important social outcomes, including partner and associate choices, hiring decisions and voting behavior (for a meta-analytic review see LANGLOIS et al. 2000). Because preferences for facial characteristics that determine attitudes towards unfamiliar individuals will influence a more diverse range of social interactions and outcomes than preferences for specific individuals * Author for correspondence: BENEDICT C. JONES, Face Research Laboratory, School of Psychology, William Guild Building, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2UB, Scotland UK. Tel: +44 (0)1224 273933, Fax: +44 (0)1224 273426, Email: ben.jones@abdn.ac.uk.