The Science Behind What Deems A Person As Attractive
What does science say that makes people much more attractive?
When asked what makes a person attractive, many people would respond with their eyes, smile, or even the shape of their body. Among cultures, beauty is defined differently. While in some parts of the world such as Bulgaria and Serbia people prefer lighter eye colors, others prefer darker eye colors, like Vietnam and Israel. Although some people go by “beauty comes from the inside”, scientists prove that there are certain aspects to people that make them much more attractive than others.
Symmetry:
It is certainly not true that there is in the mind of man any universal standards of beauty with respect to the human body.
— Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin once wrote: “It is certainly not true that there is in the mind of a man any universal standards of beauty with respect to the human body.” However, research demonstrates that there are certain aspects to the body that are attractive, according to many cultures and even the animal kingdom. Facial symmetry is one of the most important. A symmetrical face might indicate that the person has good genes. People with lopsided faces typically are thought to reflect bad DNA, poor health, or even a causation of alcohol or tobacco use. It’s why many people with unsymmetrical facial features tend to get plastic surgery. Biologically though, their children would probably have the same problems with unsymmetrical facial features if the genes are dominant.
Finger Length:
This one is a bit odd but it kind of makes sense. Many women typically look at a man’s fingers to see the signs of a wedding ring but research shows that the longer the ring finger is compared to the index finger, the more testosterone there is present. High levels of testosterone are linked to increased fertility, better genes, and lowers the likelihood of obesity and heart attacks. Oxford University, however, discovered that those with a longer ring finger tend to be promiscuous while those with similar finger lengths tend to be faithful.
Voice:
According to an article published on PLOS Ones, voices indicate body size. Weird, right? However, this is an actual study done. Women typically prefer men with low-pitched voices because it signals a large body size. However, some men prefer women with high-pitched voices because it signifies a smaller body size. Other men also prefer women with “breathy” voices as it indicates youth. Though, whether the female voice was high-pitched or low-pitched, it was not rated significantly different.
Smell:
I actually understand this one. If someone smells bad, I would not be interested in that person at all. If someone smells good, that just brings up their attractiveness. Agata Groyecka, when conducting 73 studies on attractiveness, said “some odors are not only rated as more pleasant but also sexier, and therefore, they are likely to make people eager to flirt or date.” She also said that repulsive odors “can be discouraging to engaging in a relationship.” According to Gordon Gallup, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of Albany, one’s body odor is an influence on how attractive a person is to another, especially because body odor is connected to personal health. For instance, diabetic people sometimes can smell like rotten apples. Really interesting yet really strange.
In the end, this is all based on studies. Don’t feel bad about yourself because 9 times out of 10, if someone thinks you’re unattractive, there’s a billion other people in the world that think you’re attractive. So don’t let that one person bring you down.
