Have you ever wondered what makes someone attractive? What is it about one person that makes them more attractive than someone else? My friends and I talk about this all the time so I decided to look into it.
Obviously different people find different features attractive. Eyes, smile, jaw line, hair color are some of the different features that make people attracted to someone else. Researchers found that symmetrical characteristics are something that many people look for when they are looking for a loved one. What are can be defined as symmetrical characteristics? The distance between the eyes, and the the space between your lips and chin are just a few of the characteristics.
Researchers at the Massachusetts institute of technology studied what features men and women mostly prefer. According to these researchers the features that women prefer to see in men include characteristics like “Hyper-feminine facial characteristics, such as a small pointed chin, Youthful features like full lips, thick hair, muscle tone and smooth skin and, A proportioned, hour-glass figure.”
And on the other hand, the features that men prefer to see in women include characteristics such as “The angle between their eyes and mouth, Cheekbone prominence and facial length, Those with higher levels of testosterone are typically ranked as having more masculine faces, Broader at the shoulder and narrower at the hips (the general V shape).” (MIT Study)
Those aren’t the only things that people look for in a significant other. Have you ever heard that women sometimes date men that look like their father? According to a biologist at the University of Mexico, this is actually true. “Studies conducted concluded that men who are symmetrical give off a scent that attracts women. While women give off a scent during menstruation that attracts men. Men and women are unawarely attracted to people with similar genetics” (University of Mexico)
Obviously there are a lot of other features that make someone attracted to someone else… like personality, and things along those lines, but these are some of the scientifically proven features that make people attracted to someone!
Cites:
http://lerablog.org/home-and-family/what-make-people-attractive-or-unatractive/
http://german.fansshare.com/gallery/photos/259466/Paul-Walker-Smile/?displaying
I watched a show on Discovery about symmetry and beauty. It talked about people with symmetric faces being more appealing to the eye. I found a clip on it on youtube that I think you may enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVhKSzSpXMA
When I think of beautiful people, most of them do seem to have the perfect faces with what seem to be perfectly symmetrical features. I also think that people are attracted to those who look similar to them. When I see couples I think there is something that looks common in both but maybe that’s just me finding things in them because they are always together? Maybe something new I can research about.
I find this to be a very interesting topic. I always question why i’m attracted to certain people as i’m sure many other students do as well. A few of my friends always talk about how many of the couples they know look like each other and could pass off as brother and sister. here is an article that talks about men being attracted to women that remind them of themselves it seems a bit selfish but also logically, makes sense. Have a look, it may be another factor why we are attracted to the people we are attracted to. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/celebrity/news/men-prefer-women-who-look-similar
Also on a side note, it seems a little ironic with your choice of photo of the actor Paul Walker who just passed away in a car accident.
I found this to be very interesting. I never really gave it much thought until now. This article I was reading states that men find woman who have a waist-to-hip ratio of .67 to 1.18 are considered to be the most attractive. For a woman, a male who has a waist-to-hip ratio of .8 to 1 is considered most attractive. Women are also more attracted to males that have broad shoulders. The people that qualify under this hip ratio are less likely to get cancer, diabetes, or other diseases. Women who qualify in this ratio also seem to have an easier time conceiving a child. I found this to be very interesting. Feel free to check out the article below.
http://www.livescience.com/7023-rules-attraction-game-love.html
I was really shocked by the study that found women to find men more attractive when they resemble their dads. It makes sense now that I think about it because you resemble those men to be more protective over you and that is exactly what a dad would be. I also found in an article that gives the “scientific rules of attraction” and it theories that attractiveness can actually depend on how the baby develops in the womb. It depends on how much “oxidative stress” that is inside the womb and this can damage the baby’s DNA and ultimately alter the asymmetry of its facial features. This will in return make the person less attractive. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/the-scientific-rules-of-attraction-2115495.html