The Science Of Beauty
- Tuesday, March 15 2011 @ 03:38 pm
- Contributed by: ElyseRomano
- Views: 1,338
Though ideas about what is considered beautiful have changed over the years, one thing has not: humans are fascinated by the possibility of discovering a formula for beauty.
Humans have contemplated the question "What makes a woman beautiful?" for as long as they have contemplated…well…pretty much anything. Plato wrote of something he called the "golden proportions," which described, among other things, the construction of the ideal face. According to him, the nose should be no longer than the distance between the eyes, and the width of the face should be two-thirds its length. Although Plato's theories haven't always held up to modern scientific investigations, they do provide a strong foundation for the study of beauty.
Plato was correct in saying that symmetry is inherently pleasing to the human eye, though contemporary research has shown that it is measured not by proportions, but rather by the similarity between the left and right sides of the face. In studies of adults, in which several faces are combined to create a perfect symmetrical face, the composite image is always voted more attractive than the individual photos. Tests with babies, who spend more time staring at pictures of symmetric faces than asymmetric ones, confirm these findings.
Beauty, of course, goes far beyond symmetry. Men in Western cultures show preferences for women with small jaws and noses, defined cheekbones, and large eyes - all features that combine to make a woman's face resemble an infant's. Ladies, on the other hand, show an inclination for men who look mature. They favor heart-shaped faces with small chins and full lips. Both genders gravitate towards faces in which the jaw and forehead are in vertical alignment.
Plato may not have been entirely right about the role proportions play in the human face, but proportions do play a clear part in the attractiveness of the human body. Scientists have found that men consider women beautiful when they have a low waist-to-hip ratio, meaning that their waist is small compared to the size of their backside and hips. There is likely an evolutionary explanation for this: studies have shown that women with high waist-to-hip ratios, whose bodies are "flat" rather than "curvy," are more likely suffer from health problems like diabetes and infertility.
These preferences may, however, be determined by location. Research with an indigenous people native to Peru, who have almost no contact with the Western world, showed a preference for high waist-to-hip ratios.
Related Story: The Science Of Beauty, Part II
Humans have contemplated the question "What makes a woman beautiful?" for as long as they have contemplated…well…pretty much anything. Plato wrote of something he called the "golden proportions," which described, among other things, the construction of the ideal face. According to him, the nose should be no longer than the distance between the eyes, and the width of the face should be two-thirds its length. Although Plato's theories haven't always held up to modern scientific investigations, they do provide a strong foundation for the study of beauty.
Plato was correct in saying that symmetry is inherently pleasing to the human eye, though contemporary research has shown that it is measured not by proportions, but rather by the similarity between the left and right sides of the face. In studies of adults, in which several faces are combined to create a perfect symmetrical face, the composite image is always voted more attractive than the individual photos. Tests with babies, who spend more time staring at pictures of symmetric faces than asymmetric ones, confirm these findings.
Beauty, of course, goes far beyond symmetry. Men in Western cultures show preferences for women with small jaws and noses, defined cheekbones, and large eyes - all features that combine to make a woman's face resemble an infant's. Ladies, on the other hand, show an inclination for men who look mature. They favor heart-shaped faces with small chins and full lips. Both genders gravitate towards faces in which the jaw and forehead are in vertical alignment.
Plato may not have been entirely right about the role proportions play in the human face, but proportions do play a clear part in the attractiveness of the human body. Scientists have found that men consider women beautiful when they have a low waist-to-hip ratio, meaning that their waist is small compared to the size of their backside and hips. There is likely an evolutionary explanation for this: studies have shown that women with high waist-to-hip ratios, whose bodies are "flat" rather than "curvy," are more likely suffer from health problems like diabetes and infertility.
These preferences may, however, be determined by location. Research with an indigenous people native to Peru, who have almost no contact with the Western world, showed a preference for high waist-to-hip ratios.
Related Story: The Science Of Beauty, Part II
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