Effects of Lip Color on Perceived Lightness of Human Facial Skin

Whereas geometric illusions in human faces have been reported by several studies, illusions of color or lightness in faces have seldom been explored. Here, we psychophysically investigated whether lip color influences facial skin’s perceived lightness. Results of Experiment 1 demonstrated that redde...

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Main Authors: Yuki Kobayashi, Soyogu Matsushita, Kazunori Morikawa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2017-07-01
Series:i-Perception
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669517717500
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author Yuki Kobayashi
Soyogu Matsushita
Kazunori Morikawa
author_facet Yuki Kobayashi
Soyogu Matsushita
Kazunori Morikawa
author_sort Yuki Kobayashi
collection DOAJ
description Whereas geometric illusions in human faces have been reported by several studies, illusions of color or lightness in faces have seldom been explored. Here, we psychophysically investigated whether lip color influences facial skin’s perceived lightness. Results of Experiment 1 demonstrated that redder lips lightened and darker lips darkened the perceived complexion. These lightness or darkness inducing effects differ from the classical illusion of lightness contrast in nonface objects for two reasons. First, illusory effects are more assimilative than contrastive. Second, the inducing area (i.e., lips) is much smaller than the influenced area (facial skin). Experiment 2 showed that the assimilative lightness induction was caused by holistic processing of faces. This is the first study to scientifically substantiate the claim of cosmetics manufacturers and makeup artists that lip colors can alter perceived facial skin color. Implications for face perception, lightness illusion, and perceptual effects of cosmetics are discussed.
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spelling doaj.art-d7786ed0ea7148999d878bcff3013c662022-12-21T23:27:05ZengSAGE Publishingi-Perception2041-66952017-07-01810.1177/2041669517717500Effects of Lip Color on Perceived Lightness of Human Facial SkinYuki KobayashiSoyogu MatsushitaKazunori MorikawaWhereas geometric illusions in human faces have been reported by several studies, illusions of color or lightness in faces have seldom been explored. Here, we psychophysically investigated whether lip color influences facial skin’s perceived lightness. Results of Experiment 1 demonstrated that redder lips lightened and darker lips darkened the perceived complexion. These lightness or darkness inducing effects differ from the classical illusion of lightness contrast in nonface objects for two reasons. First, illusory effects are more assimilative than contrastive. Second, the inducing area (i.e., lips) is much smaller than the influenced area (facial skin). Experiment 2 showed that the assimilative lightness induction was caused by holistic processing of faces. This is the first study to scientifically substantiate the claim of cosmetics manufacturers and makeup artists that lip colors can alter perceived facial skin color. Implications for face perception, lightness illusion, and perceptual effects of cosmetics are discussed.https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669517717500
spellingShingle Yuki Kobayashi
Soyogu Matsushita
Kazunori Morikawa
Effects of Lip Color on Perceived Lightness of Human Facial Skin
i-Perception
title Effects of Lip Color on Perceived Lightness of Human Facial Skin
title_full Effects of Lip Color on Perceived Lightness of Human Facial Skin
title_fullStr Effects of Lip Color on Perceived Lightness of Human Facial Skin
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Lip Color on Perceived Lightness of Human Facial Skin
title_short Effects of Lip Color on Perceived Lightness of Human Facial Skin
title_sort effects of lip color on perceived lightness of human facial skin
url https://doi.org/10.1177/2041669517717500
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