The science of attractiveness can be obnoxious when misrepresented, but it’s also fascinating. A new book contains some surprising information about sexy tigers, the cosmetic power of veggies — and how to talk about beauty without being an asshole.
David Perrett’s In Your Face is all about our perceptions of human facial attractiveness, but it’s largely free of the repellent statements that characterize many pop-science treatments of beauty and sexuality. Perrett’s not interested in “proving” that fat people are gross or that men simply have to have much younger partners. His book may not be perfect — he uncritically reports research on monkeys’ gendered play habits that Cordelia Fine questioned in her also-fascinating Delusions of Gender, and most of the studies he cites focus on heterosexual attraction (a limitation he acknowledges). Nonetheless, In Your Face is packed with interesting stuff. A sampling:
The person taking the picture matters.
Most studies of human beauty rely on a supposedly objective rating system — and indeed, some studies show surprising cross-cultural agreement on who is hot (while Perrett notes some differences in preferences and body modifications across cultures, he also writes, “if the populations of two countries each ran a beauty competition with the same contestants, all of whom were from a single ethnic background, the votes from the two countries would be likely to be about 90 percent similar”). But a number of factors that have nothing to do with a person’s bone structure also influence our perception of his or her hotness. The effects of a woman’s menstrual cycle on her preferences are much-vaunted — but to my mind, this tidbit is way more interesting:
Even when they were asked to keep a neutral expression, most women are subsequently judged more attractive in shots taken by a male photographer than in shots taken by a female photographer. Maybe there is a little flirtation from both parties — many men will not be satisfied until they have won a smile from a female. Men are not immune to friendly females, either; even a brief conversation with a woman can make their testosterone soar. In photographs taken after five minutes’ chat with a sociable female, men looked significantly happier; they were also voted more attractive as a long-term partner than they were in photos that had been taken after they’d spend five minutes waiting alone.
Eating fruits and vegetables could make you hotter.
In African, Asian, and European study populations, people tend to prefer faces that are yellower in skin tone, an effect caused by eating lots of beta-carotene rich fruits and vegetables. Perrett explains that yellow pigments may be a sign of health, since “when blood supplies are depleted by diseases, fewer carotenoids will be laid down in the skin.” Perrett’s explanation of the general preference for a healthy-looking mate is nothing you haven’t heard before (a partner’s illness can harm a fetus or result in faulty genes being passed on), but it’s worth noting that not all people put an appearance of health above all else. In fact …
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