Psychology Facts

▼ Beauty/Attractiveness ▼

》Evolutionary psychologists have opened a line of inquiry into other age-old questions about beauty, observing that both men and women alike appear more concerned than ever with both attractiveness and perceived physical imperfections.

》The leading theory is that we're hardwired to appreciate forms and patterns that are pervasive in nature, such as fractals, the Golden Ratio and symmetry, because they helped our ancestors survive. A symmetrical face, for instance, suggests good health and strong genes in a potential mate.

》The perfect female face, according to researchers at the University of Toronto, has a distance between the pupils of 46 percent of the entire face, and a distance between the eyes and the mouth that is 36 percent of the distance from the hairline to the chin.

》The halo effect causes a trait, such as beauty, to drastically color your perception of all other traits. If you think someone is beautiful, you are also likely to assume they're smart, ambitious, and interesting.

》College students who were asked to rate photographs of 10 male and 10 female faces found portraits showing the left sides of faces more aesthetically pleasing than those showing right sides. (Left sides are almost everyone's good side)

》A 2005 study by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis found that slim, tall and good-looking people tend to earn higher wages than their plain-Jane co-workers. This is partly because certain physical characteristics shown to increase confidence and communication skills may also boost productivity at the office. Researchers note that discrimination, or a "plainness penalty," may also be at play. 

》According to Economists at the University of Texas, beauty's direct relation to happiness is partly linked to economic benefits. Better-looking people generally earn more money and marry better-looking and higher-earning spouses than their less attractive counterparts.  

》Psychologist Maria Agthe found that good-looking applicants for a graduate scholarship received less favorable reviews from raters of the same sex. 

》By monitoring the academic intelligence and physical appearance of more than 17,000 people from childhood up to early adulthood, researchers at the London School of Economics found that in Britain, good-looking women have IQs 11.4 points above the average, and attractive men have a higher IQ of 13.6 points. 

》When selecting features of an attractive woman, men choose proportions characteristic of young girls, including a shorter distance from the eyes to the chin and fuller lips, according to research by Professor Victor Johnstone of the University of New Mexico. (No pedo jokes or comments plz)

》Scientists believe that because we pay closer attention to beautiful people — either out of curiosity, romantic interest or the desire for friendship — we also perceive their personalities better. 

》Why do I look better in the mirror than in photographs?

When you look at the mirror day in and day out, you see a view that you are accustomed to. A photograph of yourself, however, flips the view you see every morning; the right side of the face is now the left side. This angle is a new and unfamiliar perspective, one that doesn't jibe with your daily view.

》Behaviorally, recognition-by-components theory suggests that we are not interpreting the face as a whole (the entire face equals beauty) but rather that we recognize the parts of the face as examples of beauty (beautifully shaped eye, nose, mouth, cheekbones, etc.) and therefore interpret the entire face as beauty.

》Most people are far too critical of their own physical appearance, especially those who engage in self-downing or negative self-talk, which can and should be challenged. It is important to also focus on non-physical aspects of one's desirability, such as warmth, character and personality. When evaluating your attractiveness to potential partners, recognize that most individuals weigh all these factors and more in seeking relationships.