what makes people so beautiful or handsome?
Women who have...
a baby face or childlike appearance like a high forehead, big eyes and small chin
a waist-hip ratio of around .7 (waist is 70% of size of hips)
a body mass index of around 24.1 (normal is 20-24)
men who have...
firm jaw, strong chin, and imposing brows
though some studies have shown that feminine faces with full lips,big eyes and warm smile to be more attractive
a muscular torso
both have...
symmetrical faces and body proportions
generally healthy appearance (no skin lesions or rotting teeth)
average looks or extremely attractive
...are considered good looking
In women- wide hips and small waist imply fertility and health. Breast size also implies a better ability to feed the young (when in fact it has been shown that smaller breasts produce more milk than larger).
A small chin is a signal of how much estrogen is present during puberty, so the reasoning by some scientists is small chin=high estrogen=high fertility. I don't know if men realize all of this while scoping a woman out.
In men, the stronger jaw and chin imply higher levels of testosterone in puberty. Once again, this leads to higher fertility and strength in defending the family or getting resources. The reason that some women are finding feminine faces in males attractive is because they imply a warm, caring sensitive man rather than a rugged aloof one. Plus, they look youthful. (Vaughan, 1999)
Symmetry is also a big influence on attractiveness because we like balance in appearance. It has been shown that those with higher symmetry in their bodies and faces have sex earlier and give their female counterparts more orgasms than those without (Cowley, 1996). This ability to give females orgasms results in higher fertility because of the contractions of the uterus during orgasms that help the sperm in their progress into the uterus.
The healthy appearance is obvious- we want to pass on good genes onto our offspring- healthy genes. So someone with obvious health problems would not be an optimal candidate.
Average looks are attractive because of the similarity to us, which is a big impact on liking another person. In the biological sense, the more average an individual's appearance is- the less likely they are to carry genetic mutations.
Attractiveness as social lift or hindrance
It has long been known that attractive people are seen as more successful, intelligent and fun to be with.In a study, children rated pictures of other kids their age to which they would like to play with. The pictures were of people the children didn't know, but the pictures of attractive children got the most "playmates."
Another study (Zebrowitz et al, 1998) show that they are more likely to be successful in receiving help in an emergency and generally have a higher social influence.
Somatotypes (body frames) also have an influence on impressions. In Gardner & Tockerman's study in 1994, three pictures of the same man were distorted to make him look heavier or thinner. This is much like how Tyra Bank is distorted above. The pictures that showed the man as heavier received more negative attributions than the picture of the same man looking thinner.
Actually, in various studies, people from different backgrounds regarding race, age and class rated attractiveness in the same way. Though in some cultures the context is different...for example:
*In low income cultures, heavier is better because it shows that you have enough food to fully feed yourself. While in high income cultures thinner is better.
*In collectivist cultures, attractiveness relates directly to the integrity of the person more than in individualistic cultures (where power is the result).
