Take a look at these two faces. Which one do you find more attractive? Most of you would probably choose this one. However, many people say that beauty is subjective, so why do most people agree that this face is more attractive?
There are three components that impact the attractiveness of a face. The first element is the academic beauty of a face, which measures the physical attractiveness of a face based on scientific research. That's why if we compare those two faces, most will agree this face is more attractive. Academic beauty is measured by different parameters such as the level of sexual dimorphism a face has, which is how masculine or feminine a face looks, facial symmetry, averageness, facial proportions, facial adiposity, and many other characteristics.
There have been tens of thousands of scientific studies on the subject, and the science definitely agrees on what makes a face attractive from an academic perspective. The second aspect we'll look at is the charm of a face. These are all the small imperfections of a face that actually make the face more attractive and unique. This is why you don't want to erase every wrinkle of a face. Take for example Emilia Clarke's face.
Her face doesn't have all the features of an academically perfect face, but the way her crow's feet lines appear when she's smiling gives her a unique charm and makes her stand out from your typical beautiful woman. Lastly, the third parameter is your facial expressions. For example, the way you can tell a fake smile is by looking at the eyes. Someone making a fake smile will often smile with their lips, but the eyes will stay the same.
That's why for example doing too much Botox can remove some of your facial expressions and make you appear less genuine and attractive. Olszanowski et al have also shown that facial expressions play an important role in people's judgement of you, making you appear more trustworthy, dominant, confident, submissive, and the list goes on. For example, downturned eyes might make you look more passive or submissive, whereas downturned and low-set eyebrows will likely make you look more dominant and assertive.
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