Golden Ratios: Just a Few Millimeters Make the Difference Between a Plain and a Beautiful Face
Posted on December 21, 2009
A new study has revealed what the lead researchers calls the golden ration for facial beauty. In surveys the women who had these specific ratios always were deemed the most attractive. So what are the perfect measurements? Well, it all has to do with the width between your eyes and the width between your eyes and your mouth.
The study was published in the journal Vision Research. Researchers from UC San Diego and Kang Lee of the University of Toronto believe that have discovered two golden ratios for facial beauty. The researchers found that female faces are judged more attractive when the vertical distance between their eyes and the mouth is about 36% of the face's length. The second golden ratio is when the horizontal distance between their eyes is about 46% of the width of the face.
Pamela Pallett, a post-doctoral fellow in psychology at UC San Diego, says in a statement, "People have tried and failed to find these ratios since antiquity. The ancient Greeks found what they believed was a 'golden ratio' -- also known as 'phi' or the 'divine proportion' -- and used it in their architecture and art. Some even suggest that Leonardo Da Vinci used the golden ratio when painting his 'Mona Lisa.' But there was never any proof that the golden ratio was special. As it turns out, it isn't. Instead of phi, we showed that average distances between the eyes, mouth and face contour form the true golden ratios."
Pamela Pallett says that changing your hairstyle is an easy way to change the perceived ratios in your facial features. In fact a haircut can make a huge difference in attractiveness, because it changes the ratios of the face. The study also revealed that average faces scored as more attractive. After a lifetime of looking at faces, most humans form a composite of what an attractive face looks like.
You can read more about the interesting study at NBCI where the research paper is published. The Golden Number site also discusses the research and provides photos.