Phoebe Dynevor

Why is a larger Bi-temporal width in comparison with Bi-Zygomatic width attractive?

Bitemporal width is measured from the most lateral points on each side of the forehead, while bi-zygomatic width is defined as the distance between the most laterally positioned points on the zygomatic arches. A larger bi-temporal width in comparison to bi-zygomatic width is considered attractive among females. According to a study, an unattractive face often features a round lower face, stretched chin region, and compressed eye and eyebrow regions. It was also found that a high amount of facial fat is often associated with a high body fat proportion, making the average masculine body shape with greater muscle mass more attractive to women, while a high body fat proportion is deemed least attractive. Attractive facial shapes are longer and more dolichocephalic, featuring a narrower lower jaw and a wider, fuller lower lip. Additionally, another study found that faces with shorter width are perceived as more trustworthy. Thus, a larger bi-temporal width compared to bi-zygomatic width contributes to attractiveness, trustworthiness, and the perception of a healthier body shape among females.

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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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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 a sharper chin is more attractive than a flatter one?

The shape of the chin is a crucial factor in facial appeal, particularly for females. A study found that a small or narrow chin is often linked to a more feminine appearance. Moreover, a study discovered that a slender face with a sharper chin angle is preferred over a face with larger bigonial width. This preference was supported by a study reporting that broad or square chins can be aesthetically unappealing.

A retrospective study involving 36 patients demonstrated that reducing the mandibular width(G - G distance) and creating a sharper chin significantly enhanced facial attractiveness.Overall, these findings suggest that a larger upper lip height and a more slender, sharper chin are considered more attractive in females.

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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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