Asked by: Sheikh Hussai, Loughton
Psychologists have found that faces we rate as attractive tend to be highly symmetrical, and the positioning of their features – such as the distance between the eyes – tends to be very ‘average’ (that is, it reflects the average of all the different configurations seen in the wider population). Even tiny babies prefer to look at average and symmetrical faces, which suggests an innate preference.
It’s not known for sure why we’re attracted to these kinds of faces, but two theories are that facial symmetry somehow signals good health, and that average faces are attractive because they feel familiar.
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