BEAUTY: What is It?

by Mike August 6, 2011

Strong correlations between attractiveness and particular physical properties have been found across cultures.

Despite significant variation, there nonetheless exists a tremendous degree of agreement among cultures as to what is perceived as attractive when it is associated with human health. Healthier looking skin is universally associated with attractiveness.

Some studies have shown that symmetry of features is related to perceived physical attractiveness, such that the more symmetrical one's face the higher the attractiveness ratings. Other studies have shown that the more "average" one's face is, the higher the physical attractiveness ratings.

Specifically, researchers from the University of Texas say, "We propose that a facial configuration close to the population mean is fundamental to attractiveness. This idea is derived from two theories, evolution and natural selection, and cognitive averaging theory."

Research on infants aged two to six months suggests that preferences for attractive faces are biological (because infants have yet to be socialized with regard to what is and isn't attractive). Several studies have shown that infants as young as two months have an express preference for faces rated as attractive by adults, as compared to those rated unattractive by adults.

The determinants of female physical attractiveness include those aspects that display health and fitness for reproduction and sustenance. These include correlates of fertility such as youth, waist-hip ratio, mid upper arm circumference, body mass proportion and facial symmetry.

Signals of youth:

Because female fecundity typically declines after the late twenties, youth is an important aspect of physical attractiveness. One study across 37 cultures showed men desire, on average, a woman 2.5 years younger than themselves for a wife, with men in Nigeria and Zambia at the far extreme, desiring their wives to be 6.5 to 7.5 years younger. As men age, they also desire a larger age gap from their mates. The reasons for this preference are currently debated.

This preference for youth has also led to a preference of neotenic and youthful-appearing features. Full lips, clear, smooth skin, clear eyes, lustrous hair, and good muscle tone are all viewed as attractive in women.

Large breasts have also been shown to be attractive to men in Western societies, with the explanation that larger breasts will more explicitly show the aging process, hence an "honest" indicator of fertility.

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