Joan Cusack

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.

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Why is a larger ratio of Mouth Width to Nose Width attractive?

Studies suggest that the ratio between mouth width and nose width plays a significant role in determining a person's perceived attractiveness. Specifically, research such as the study titled 'Differences in horizontal, neoclassical facial canons in Chinese(Han) and North American Caucasian populations' has shed light on the ideal mouth-to-nose ratio.According to this study, it is generally considered more attractive for the mouth width to be approximately 1.5 times larger than the nose width.In other words, if the mouth is of a similar size or smaller than the nose, it may not be perceived as attractive.These findings provide valuable insights into the importance of the mouth-to - nose ratio when evaluating facial attractiveness.

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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.

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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.

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