What makes a face attractive?
Find out what basic traits make a face conventionally attractive.
Even though we could go on for hours on what features make a face conventionally attractive, I will only go through the most important aspects. Attractiveness is a topic that is studied quite extensively as it should be, because it has direct correlation with reproduction due to the fact that attractive people are viewed as healthier.
- Facial symmetry
Symmetric faces have been deemed more attractive across cultures and time periods. The theory used in scientific literature is the “Evolutionary Advantage Theory.”
Studies have been conducted where two photos of the same person have been altered in different ways. One of them was made more symmetric, the other more asymmetric. Most of the participants chose the more symmetric one.
The gist of it is that if the genes are perfectly balanced, the face will be symmetric. According to the theory, a symmetric face is an indicator of healthiness.
However perfect symmetry is almost impossible to achieve, there will always be minor asymmetries even in the most beautiful faces.
- Averageness
Studies have shown that the faces we deem as more attractive resemble the ones we are used to seeing in our day to day life.
This factor is also why people from different countries and cultures have different beauty standards.
For example, Asians cannot judge African faces’ attractiveness properly as they are not used to seeing African faces. Therefore, they do not know what attractive African faces look like.
- Dentofacial development
Proper dentofacial development is a key aspect of attractiveness. It is undeniable that underbites and overbites are less attractive than a healthy bite.
Proper development will ensure that the nasion (also known as the midbrow) and the chin align on a vertical line and will prevent malocclusions.
The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he made so many of them -Abraham Lincoln
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