Gabourey Sidibe

Why is a smaller nose width better than a wider one?

A smaller nose width is often considered more attractive among females. Research at the George Eastman Dental Hospital found that a nose width smaller than ¼ of the facial width contributes to the perception of beauty. Another study supported this, with 64.8% of respondents preferring reduced nose proportions in women. Additionally, a study reported that the human nose is sexually diamorphic, with males tending to have larger noses than females, making evolutionary preferences for smaller female noses understandable. Furthermore, a study found that a youthful face often features a small nose, large eyes, and full lips, which can contribute to overall attractiveness. A more recent study investigated the neoclassical cannon theory, which proposes that the ideal female nose width is about one-fifth of the facial width. The findings showed deviations from the theory, but generally, noses closer to the average composite were deemed more attractive.

Read the detailed study with exact scientific references

What makes a shorter chin more attractive than a longer one?

A study at School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, UK by Perrett found that “very attractive female faces have more feminine features (a smaller chin and higher cheekbones)”.

The scientific paper by Thayer et al showed that males typically have “larger and more projecting lateral tubercles at the base of the chin” and this longer and broader chin phenotype is used to help us discern males from females.It should come as no surprise then, that females with longer chins are typically rated as less attractive, as this is more fitting with the attractive male face shape.

When men were asked to rate the attractiveness of women in a study (Cunningham et al 1986), an interesting observation developed: they preferred baby - like features.A small chin, a small nose and big eyes were not only preferred, but dictated the men’s likelihood to date, help and be sexually attracted to these women.The study quotes “Smaller chins were found to be desirable for women”.

Valenzano et al(2006) show that, Sexual differences in the female during their foetal development usually result in “horizontal reduction of the chin, [and] forward movement of the gonion(jaw angle)”. This aesthetic change in the developing female’s chin, helps create an ‘attractive shape’.

Read the detailed study with exact scientific references

What is an Eye canthal Tilt? Why is a positive tilt more attractive than a negative tilt?

An eye canthal tilt is the angle between the inner and outer corners of the eyes and plays a significant role in periorbital aesthetics. The tilt can be negative, neutral, or positive, with a positive tilt providing a more attractive, sharp, and youthful appearance. Studies, such as the one conducted at the University of Toronto, have found that a positive canthal tilt is a strong indicator of female facial attractiveness. This phenomenon is explained by the fact that a steeper palpebral fissure inclination is a neonatal and sexually dimorphic feature. A positive canthal tilt is also linked to youth, health, and exuberance. Various studies support the notion that a positive canthal tilt enhances a woman’s appearance, making her look more attractive, youthful, and feminized. However, as the tilt decreases with age due to soft tissue descent, it can contribute to a more masculinized appearance. Research has shown that female faces with a positive canthal tilt are preferred 93% of the time, making it a distinctive quality of a beautiful eye.

Read the detailed study with exact scientific references

Why is a smaller Bi-Zygomatic to Mid-Face-Height Ratio attractive?

A smaller Bi-Zygoma to Midface height ratio is easy to understand as a longer midface height compared to Bi-Zygoma. A longer midface indicates proper facial growth until middle adulthood (Carolyn R et al, Department of Anthropology, Boston University, USA). In attractive faces, it is somewhat common to have a longer midface (S.C.Rhee, Teuim Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Clinic, South Korea).

Why is a larger ratio of Interpupillary-Width to Bi-Zygomatic-Width Ratio attractive?

Interpupillary Width is the distance between the centers of the pupils of the two eyes, while Bi-Zygomatic Width is the distance between the most prominent points of the cheekbones. A greater ratio of Interpupillary Width to Bi-Zygomatic Width results in the appearance of the eyes being larger in proportion to the rest of the face, which is considered attractive among females. This is because a larger eye area can be associated with youth, attractiveness, and innocence, and contributes to a more aesthetically pleasing and youthful appearance. Various factors, including eye size, distance between eyes, and cheekbone shape, can influence the size of the eye area.

Females find a larger Interpupillary - Width to Bi-Zygomatic - Width Ratio attractive as it contributes to a more expansive external orbital surface area.A research study asked 80 participants aged 30 to 50 years to evaluate the perceived age and attractiveness of female eye regions using digital images. The study authors referred to another study, which found that people tend to prefer faces with a larger soft tissue orbital area and youthful features, which supports the babyfaceness hypothesis of facial attractiveness proposed by Bashour(2006). This suggests that there is a natural tendency to perceive larger orbital areas and youthful features in the eye region as attractive.

Read the detailed study with exact scientific references

Why larger eyes are considered more attractive?

Sexual selection and male mate choice favours females with dimorphic sexual ornaments; features such as “neotentic faces, high-pitched voices, and fatty breasts and hips attract male investment” (Puts, 2010). Neotenic features (or a baby-like facial resemblance) such as big eyes, small round faces and high voices are thought to attract male care and affection by exploiting the primal male impulse to protect infants. This concept is further bolstered by many scientific studies. Men, simply, prefer women with big eyes. Out of the many studies of facial aesthetics and mate choice preferences, a woman’s eye size (and nose size) are often found to be the biggest influences for her overall facial attractiveness (Przlipiak et al, 2018). When the eye is lengthened horizontally, it creates the perception that the eye is bigger (Zhao et al, 2019).

The Medical University of Białystok conducted an experiment, digitally increasing the eye size of female participants to increase their attractiveness(Przlipiak et al, 2018).These researchers further cemented this finding, by also showing that reducing the eye size also decreases attractiveness.There is a general consensus across scientific literature that “wider eyes make females more attractive” (Baudouin and Tiberghien, 2004; Przlipiak et al, 2018) and that overall “larger eyes[are found to be] more attractive” (Geldart et al, 1999; Baudouin & Tiberghein, 2004; Matsushita et al, 2015).

In a conference paper presented by Mitsuhiro & Kitaoka, (2016) eye roundness(calculated as eye height / eye width) and the proportion of the eye covered by the iris compared to the whole eye both increased the perceived likeability, attractiveness and beauty of females. Interestingly, larger eye size not only increases the attractiveness of women but also supplements her perceived social characteristics: such as making a woman appear more honest(Atoum and Al - Simadi 2000), competent and warm(Goncalves et al, 2015).Together, by increasing both the impression of positive social characteristics, and overall female beauty; longer eye length has a strong and well-demonstrated effect on female attractiveness.

Read the detailed study with exact scientific references