The Science Behind Beautiful Humans
Ever look at someone and think, “Gosh, why are they so beautiful?” Well believe it or not, there is actually an entire science behind what makes us look at people and think they are attractive. I first heard this in one my of Brain and Behavior courses in my undergrad and it really struck an interest to me because it always seems as if there are trends constantly changing and more recently, we are starting to define beauty in a different way. Of course trends and culture create other signs of beauty but science research has shown universal signs of beauty and attraction.
As for the science perspective on beauty, they have had this all figured out for years and it still seems to be very true. Here is just a small list of some of the reasons why we perceive people as beautiful.
1. Face proportions: This is the main studies that people in psychology focus on. They like to call it the golden ratio in which there is a measurement between the distances of features on the face that make us perceive that people are more attractive. This is what plastic surgeons and cosmetic doctors use to help patients who are looking to improve their appearance. In these studies, women’s faces are distorted to change the feature and they also evaluate the faces of other notable beautiful women like Angelina Jolie and Cindy Crawford. Below are the face proportions they found to have the best results for perception of beauty. The reason why humans like this proportion of the face is because it is easy on the brain which causes our brain to signal attractiveness. To check out more on this, click here.
2. Natural Variations in Symmetry: There have also been many studies done that show symmetry plays a very significant role in the way we perceive beauty in individuals. It is amazing that this is not just for western culture but for all cultures around the world. This is just in addition to the measurement of all the ratio evaluations of the face. To read more on symmetry, click this link.
3. Dewy Skin: I was not able to find any studies on this but this is seems to be a common feature in beauty, especially today with the dewy skin look. Dewy skin is said to give a younger look because younger individuals tend to have more moisture and plumpness to their face.
4. Strong Eyebrows: Having strong eyebrows provides structure to the face giving a younger more attractive look. In fact, Oakland University did a recent study showing that thicker eyebrows were found to be more attractive and another study did a study on the eye size and eyebrow strength in which stronger/ larger features created more attraction. Click here to read more.
5. Long/Dark Eyelashes: This has to do with some of the information from the studies above where stronger features show more attraction but having longer bolder lashes may also be linked to our natural instinct during mating. This is called sexual selection in which we find features that make us attracted to another because they can create a better offspring. Long/dark eyelashes may be along the lines of this idea like how longer, more beautiful feathers on a peacock male is seen to be more attractive.
6. Full Lips: Some studies discuss that babies have pudgy thick lips which is why we associate full lips with attraction. Another reason we associate full lips with attraction is the idea behind the fact that the lips are the most sensitive which is why we kiss, so having larger lips show they will have more sensitivity making them more attractive. (Reference 1, Reference 2)
