Compared to men’s faces, women’s faces varied less in their emotional expression (appearing invariably positive) but varied more in gender typicality. These differences align with gender role expectations requiring the expression of positive emotion by women and prohibiting the expression of femininity by men. More important, greater variance within gender typicality and emotion facilitates their respective utility for distinguishing sexual orientation from facial appearance. These findings thus provide the first evidence for contrasting cues to women’s and men’s sexual orientation and suggest that gender norms may uniquely shape how men and women reveal their sexual orientation. Impressions of another person’s sexual orientation have important downstream consequences for how people perceive and behave towards others. Despite the obvious benefits that knowing someone’s sexual orientation can afford for mate selection and group solidarity, perceptions of sexual orientation also influence life outcomes such as hiring decisions (e.g., Gross, Green, Storck, & Vanyur, 1980 Rule, Bjornsdottir, Tskhay, & Ambady, 2016).
