What Makes a Face Appealing to the Opposite Sex?

[John317]

– 36 mins ago

SUNDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- While it may be true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, a new computer model helps reveal what's behind peoples' ideas of facial attractiveness.

Many studies have concluded that people are drawn to "average" faces and those who fit the conventional notion of attractiveness for a person's gender -- "masculinity" in men and "femininity" in women. But psychologists Christopher P. Said of New York University and Alexander Todorov of Princeton University believe attractiveness is more complex than that, so they created a computer model to identify and measure those complexities.

The psychologists used thousands of faces and their ratings, from 20 male and 20 female students rating opposite-gender faces, to build the computer program.

The computer model tested 50 "dimensions" of facial features, which were divided into two categories -- shape and reflectance. Shape includes things such as nose size or plumpness of lips, while reflectance includes things such as facial lightness, darkness and color, such as red lips or shadowed eyes.

The investigators found that men typically want women's faces to have feminine shape and feminine reflectance (such as plump lips and wide eyes), while women typically want men's faces to have masculine reflectance (such as swarthier skin) but a feminine shape.

The results show that masculine and feminine attractiveness are not equal and opposite, according to the researchers.

The study authors also found that the appeal of average faces is less straightforward than previously believed. While both men and women find average faces attractive, the most average faces are not considered the most attractive.

The study is slated for publication in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science.

In a news release from the Association for Psychological Science, the authors point out that their study has limitations, including the fact that only a few dozen college students participated in the research.

And while theoretically a computer program might be able to determine the attractiveness of an artificial face, people have unique ways of rating beauty and may come to different conclusions when faced with a real person.

[cricket]

Must have nice teeth.

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

no hair coming out of nose..

[John317]

Of course what the authors of that study are talking about are the way Americans generally think. If the study was done in Africa, for instance, it would show something different.

In Europe, the girls (women) don't generally cut the hair under their arm-pits. When I was serving in the army there, I was really shocked one time to look up at the under arms of a woman standing above me in the street car, because she had long hair coming down from her arm-pits. I was grossed out, to say the least. But that is the way in much of Europe.

And in Africa, you often have to get used to seeing hair in men's noses and bad teeth and women's flabby breasts and flabby other things, men's flabby stomachs and other things, too. It all depends on the culture, I guess. Glad I'm American. :-)

[Gordon1]

Thankfully my tastes have changed from former days of vanity. Although western beauty follows certain norms, the most attractive facial feature of a man or woman is their kindness, and subjection to God. With careful observation, one can often see kindness or rebellion in the face of a stranger.

[cricket]

Re: Your last paragraph, John. In Africa, would men be able to contain themselves with all that revealing by the immodest women?

[John317]

In Africa, in those areas where women freely exhibit their breasts, men don't think of women's breasts in the same way most men throughout the world think of them. Much of the way people view other people's bodies is influenced by the culture and society in which they live.

However, there is a great deal of rape in Africa. In some African countries, men think (or at least did so a few years ago) that the way to get rid of AIDS is to rape or have sex with virgins. This has been documented.

Of course many African countries are being westernized so that the people no longer go without their clothes as much as they once did. It would be interesting to study how the wearing of clothing has changed their view of the body.

I would like to see a comparison study of how men view the body in Muslim countries and how the men view the body in African countries where the people regularly go mostly naked. I suspect there would be a vast difference.

[John317]

I wholeheartedly agree with you, Gordon. True, lasting beauty is of the character, not the skin. Same with skin color: the true beauty of anyone of any race is not their color but their character.

[cricket]

In Africa, in those areas where women freely exhibit their breasts, men don't think of women's breasts in the same way most men throughout the world think of them. Much of the way people view other people's bodies is influenced by the culture and society in which they live.

Thank you for giving credibility to those thoughts--since you are a man.

Maybe people on "that other thread" will read this one too.

[Woody]

Originally Posted By: John317

In Africa, in those areas where women freely exhibit their breasts, men don't think of women's breasts in the same way most men throughout the world think of them. Much of the way people view other people's bodies is influenced by the culture and society in which they live.

Thank you for giving credibility to those thoughts--since you are a man.

Maybe people on "that other thread" will read this one too.

The question is - What does God consider to be modest?

[John317]

Thank you for giving credibility to those thoughts--since you are a man.

Thank you. :-) I'm trying to think of myself that way. And it helps to see people affirm that sometimes.

Originally Posted By: cricket

Maybe people on "that other thread" will read this one too.

Yes, I think "that other thread" should.

Many years ago, I used to go to a nudist colony and to nudist beaches. I found that at those places, you could always tell the people who were new-comers. They were the ones who were staring or made it obvious in other very discourteous ways. People who get used to living that way aren't usually preoccupied with nudity or the breasts the same way people are who insist that the body be covered up all the time and in very square inch.

This may seem to contradict some of what I said on "that other thread," but it really doesn't.

[John317]

The question is - What does God consider to be modest?

I completely agree. I think that, too, depends on the culture.

[Gordon1]

I wholeheartedly agree with you, Gordon. True, lasting beauty is of the character, not the skin. Same with skin color: the true beauty of anyone of any race is not their color but their character.

Hi John, I'm actually refering to a physical appearance which reveals character, sometimes augmented by action or speech, but not always.

[LifeHiscost]

Originally Posted By: John317

In Africa, in those areas where women freely exhibit their breasts, men don't think of women's breasts in the same way most men throughout the world think of them. Much of the way people view other people's bodies is influenced by the culture and society in which they live.

Thank you for giving credibility to those thoughts--since you are a man.

Maybe people on "that other thread" will read this one too.

The natural man, not born again, is the same no matter what culture, although the culture may tend to push them in a particular worldly direction. For instance, if you are born in the mafia culture, it would seem you would be pushed to feel a good way to find satisfaction would be to eliminate those who made you feel uncomfortable. OTOH, if it was one of the opposite gender that made you feel uncomfortable, taking advantage of their sexuality before disposing of them would be a norm.

That is why the thought expressed about the character revealing visual likes and dislikes is so pertinent. When God forms the character, you like (love) the party no matter what their features, and your love for them makes you desire their best good no matter where they fit into visual society.

It seems, at least in my own experience, I find my own character sadly deficient when attacked, especially if attacked ruthlessly such as Jesus was. OTOH Jesus looked with loving condescension on others, no matter how ruthlessly or badly betrayed by them. Facial or bodily differences did not seem to play a role in his acceptance of anybody, without discrimination.

"He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.”"John 4:8-10 NLT

God blesses!

[John317]

I sure agree with you there, LifeHisCost.

The nature is the same; it just expresses itself in differnt forms depending on the culture and society.

[LifeHiscost]

I sure agree with you there, LifeHisCost.

The nature is the same; it just expresses itself in differnt forms depending on the culture and society.

I appreciate the affirmation, John. Won't it be a wonder when our characters will be so fitted by God that we will always stroke the one least like ourselves?

"Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear. For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

Do everything without complaining and arguing..."

Philippians 2:12-14 NLT

God blesses! Keep looking up!

[John317]

I'm actually refering to a physical appearance which reveals character, sometimes augmented by action or speech, but not always.

Yes, I see what you mean. The kind of things you're talking about are often found in books and films about evil protagonists. There is some truth to what you say, although it is not always true. Many criminals look wonderful, and many good people look like they are probably evil. That's why some criminals are so dangerous. They made not have the look that people expect to see in a bad person. Many don't have that "hard" look. Yet.

I think action, behavior, and speech are more likely to reveal the truth about a person's character than someone's looks.

[John317]

Good thoughts, Life! :-)