There are a few things that are universally associated with attractiveness, such as facial symmetry, facial shape, and clear skin, because they may have evolved as a shorthand for the health of a potential mate. Average-looking faces are also usually considered more attractive, studies show.
Confidence, kindness, happiness, dignity and intelligence all ranked in the top five out of 19 attributes that people said make the opposite and same sex beautiful.
But what is it that makes a face pretty and attractive? Different facial cosmetic features can make a face pretty when they come together. Big, alert eyes, a small, proportional nose, perky cheeks, a well-defined jawline, or full lips usually grab people's attention and strike them as beautiful.
Still others have found that a mixture of mature features (large lower jaw, prominent cheekbones, and thick eyebrows) and neotenous features (large eyes and small nose) is the most desirable configuration of male faces (Cunningham, Barbee, & Pike, 1990).
Approachability is attractive
Of course, men blessed with symmetrical features, chiseled jaws and great hair will always score higher in the attractiveness stakes, but several studies have shown that women tend to be more attracted to approachable, average looks when looking for a long-term partner.
Evolutionary psychology studies note that physical features and dimensions that suggest youthfulness, physical health, mental and emotional well-being, strength, and fertility are considered physically attractive, since those are desirable qualities in a mate from a biological and reproductive standpoint.
A new study shows that 20% of people see you as more attractive than you do. When you look in the mirror, all you see is your appearance. When others look at you they see something different such as personality, kindness, intelligence, and sense of humor. All these factors make up a part of a person's overall beauty.
But the heart shape, otherwise more commonly known as a V-shaped face, has been scientifically proven to be the most visually attractive face shape to have. Heart-shaped faces like those of Hollywood star Reese Witherspoon are deemed as 'mathematically beautiful'.
It says that women are most attracted to male faces that combine the best elements of both these extremes--the large eyes and medium-to-small nose of the baby's face with the strong jaw and wide cheekbones of the mature man's face.
More hormones
Norepinephrine is also released during attraction, and the combination makes you feel giddy. Attraction is also associated with higher levels of serotonin, the happy hormone. And physical contact — hugging as well as sexual contact — has been shown to increase oxytocin, the love hormone.
Do we see ourselves uglier? In a series of studies, Epley and Whitchurch showed that we see ourselves as better looking than we actually are. The researchers took pictures of study participants and, using a computerized procedure, produced more attractive and less attractive versions of those pictures.
Generally, men prefer women with full breasts, lips, symmetrical face, big smile, wider waist-hip ratio, healthy hair, high-pitched voice, clear skin, and big eyes are the morphological features in female bodies that men find attractive. However, this may vary depending on individual preferences.
Men prefer a woman who can stay calm and relaxed. Beauty is more than make-up and a fancy haircut. Men find women more attractive when they are neat and clean. Men find women who smell nice, who have clean hair and hydrated skin more attractive than a face perfectly covered in makeup.
Facial symmetry has been shown to be considered attractive in women, and men have been found to prefer full lips, high forehead, broad face, small chin, small nose, short and narrow jaw, high cheekbones, clear and smooth skin, and wide-set eyes.
Irresistible men know that a combination of honesty, kindness, humor, and confidence result in charisma. These are traits everyone wants to have, so when they find someone with those characteristics, it's easy to feel attracted to them. After all, they are everything you want to be.
What women find attractive is great hygiene and appearance. A man's style and degree of personal care is a huge part of what makes a guy attractive to a woman. Some women may prefer an artsy style more than a sporty style, but the important thing is that the man has a style more than which style he chooses to wear.
The researchers discovered that making the chase harder increased a potential mate's desirability. “Playing hard to get makes it seem as if you are more in demand—we call that having higher mate value,” says Harry Reis, a professor of psychology and Dean's Professor in Arts, Sciences & Engineering at Rochester.
The FACS results reveal turning a head to one side while tilting down slightly, a slight smile, and eyes looking forward at the person of interest is the most effective flirting face. “Our findings support the role of flirtatious expression in communication and mating initiation,” Gillath adds.
Women stated that their favorite part of the male physique was their chest at 24%. This was closely followed by hair 22% and arms at 19%. For the ab crowd, 13% prefer defined upper abs and 9% prefer the v-cut. Eyes, face, and legs came in at 3%, 2%, and 1%, respectively.
The results show that facial attractiveness is directly affected by eyebrows and indirectly by characteristics of eyes, and large eyes tend to be more attractive.