Personal profile
Research overview
David Perrett studies how we recognise facial attributes and understand actions of others. Current projects include the nature of cues in the face to attractiveness and health; the impact of childhood, parental relationships and development across puberty on mate choice in adulthood; attraction to voice and to pheromones; decoding emotional expression and deception; sharing of attention; the role of expectations and cross modal integration in understanding actions; and the use of computer graphics to enhance recognition.
For more information see the Perception Lab.
Academic/Professional Qualification
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being -
SDG 5 Gender Equality -
SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities -
SDG 15 Life on Land -
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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You are what you eat: Within-subject increases in fruit and vegetable consumption confer beneficial skin-color changes
Whitehead, R. D., Re, D., Xiao, D., Ozakinci, G. & Perrett, D. I., 7 Mar 2012, In: PLoS One. 7, 3, e32988.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Valid Facial Cues to Cooperation and Trust: Male Facial Width and Trustworthiness
Stirrat, M. R. & Perrett, D. I., Mar 2010, In: Psychological Science. 21, 3, p. 349-354Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Facial adiposity: a cue to health?
Coetzee, V., Perrett, D. I. & Stephen, I. D., 2009, In: Perception. 38, 11, p. 1700-1711 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Facial skin coloration affects perceived health of human faces
Stephen, I. D., Law Smith, M. J., Stirrat, M. R. & Perrett, D. I., Dec 2009, In: International Journal of Primatology. 30, 6, p. 845-857Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
Seeing the future: Natural image sequences produce “anticipatory” neuronal activity and bias perceptual report
Perrett, D. I., Xiao, D., Barraclough, N. E., Keysers, C. & Oram, M. W., 2009, In: The Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology. 62, 11, p. 2081-2104Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Datasets
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The influence of body composition on social judgements (thesis data)
Lei, X. (Creator) & Perrett, D. I. (Supervisor), University of St Andrews, 2021
DOI: 10.17630/aee3f774-a50b-46ea-8135-0f64f7caddaa, https://doi.org/10.17630/sta/119
Dataset: Thesis dataset
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Leadership impression from the face across cultures (thesis data)
Ma, J. (Creator) & Perrett, D. I. (Supervisor), University of St Andrews, 25 May 2026
DOI: 10.17630/ca631a07-2905-445e-a280-555a6e47847d, https://doi.org/10.17630/sta/397
Dataset: Thesis dataset
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Clothing colour choices to match fair and tanned skin types of White women
Perrett, D. (Contributor), Figshare, 14 May 2021
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14596905.v1
Dataset
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Face_features_and_clothing_aesthetics
Perrett, D. (Creator), Figshare, 2023
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.20795986.v1
Dataset
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Misperception of the desirability of sexual dimorphism
Perrett, D. (Creator), Holzleitner, I. (Creator) & Lei, X. (Creator), Figshare, 2024
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.26424307.v1
Dataset
Projects
- 9 Finished
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RSE NNSFC Joint Project: Automatic Health Perception by Combining Multiple Facial Cues
Perrett, D. (PI)
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
1/05/14 → 30/09/15
Project: Standard
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EPSRC Strategic partner projects applica: Promoting better diet through health appearance
Perrett, D. (PI) & Ozakinci, G. (CoI)
1/08/11 → 30/06/12
Project: Standard
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Visiting Academic - Dr Dariusz Danel: Visiting Academic - Dr. Dariusz Danel
Perrett, D. (PI)
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
1/11/10 → 14/11/10
Project: Standard
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Fellowship T Saxton: Inidividual Differences in Human Partnership Preference
Perrett, D. (PI)
Economic and Social Research Council
1/10/08 → 30/09/09
Project: Fellowship
Activities
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British Academy Lecture, in association with School of Psychology, University of Newcastle: 'Looking healthy at any age: how lifestyle affects our facial appearance
Perrett, D. I. (Speaker)
21 Feb 2011Activity: Talk or presentation types › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Plenary speaker, International Anthropological Congress, Prague. 'Nonverbal aspects of mate-choice and courtship'. (September)
Perrett, D. I. (Keynote/Plenary speaker)
2009 → …Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Symposium, Leipzig Encounters in Cognition and Action (L.E.C.A), 'Perceiving Bodies in Action: From Low to High Level Mechanisms' (December)
Perrett, D. I. (Invited speaker)
2009 → …Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
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Dalian University of Technology
Perrett, D. I. (Visiting Professor)
1 Nov 2018 → 8 Nov 2018Activity: Visiting an external institution types › Visiting an external academic institution
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Special Lecture as part of the Neuro Global (NPG) Summer School, Tohoku University, Japan
Perrett, D. I. (Invited speaker)
28 Sept 2018Activity: Talk or presentation types › Invited talk
Prizes
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Appointed Visiting Professor at Dalian University of Technology (2018-2021)
Perrett, D. I. (Recipient), 10 Apr 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Elected member of British Psychological Society,
Perrett, D. I. (Recipient), 2005
Prize: Election to learned society
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Experimental Psychology Society 'Mid Career' Prize 2007
Perrett, D. I. (Recipient), 2007
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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