Golden Ratios For Facial Beauty

Beauty is not often spoken about in regards to correlating with mathematics. However, there are multitudes of scientific discoveries and studies that prove mathematics has very much to do with universal beauty, and interestingly, why people are considered more attractive over others. The Golden Ratio is a mathematical number that is a determinant factor of why some people are considered more good-looking than others. Although the accuracy of the Golden Ratio is constantly and understandably questioned, it does offer up a respectable amount of evidence as to why some individuals are immediately labeled attractive over others. The Golden Ratio should be considered accurate to determine beauty because of mathematics, perceptions, and facial characteristics …show more content…
Phi is the Greek number used to represent the Golden Ratio. The number indicates the best mathematical placement for where facial characteristics should be located on a persons’ face. Pamela Pallett, conductor and writer of “New ‘Golden’ Ratios for Facial Beauty” analyzes the mathematics behind facial beauty. She states that “The ancient Greeks believed the golden ratio, or phi, represented the essence of beauty. Yet here we find a new golden ratio, that is the average length and width ratios” (Pallett 1). By new ratios, Pallett goes on to write about four experiments she and her co –workers conducted that “tested the existence of an ideal facial feature arrangement that could optimize the attractiveness of any face given its facial features” (Pallett 1). These experiments involved taking a large audience of participants so as to have diversity of how many different faces could be …show more content…
Depending on where an individual’s features are located on his or her face can determine whether or not they would be considered attractive universally to other individuals. Features such as the eyes, nose, and mouth are key to what makes a person be perceived as a more “perfect” specimen in society compared to others. Naini also discusses that when recognizing a beautiful face, it doesn’t necessarily mean whoever the judge is, is attracted to that individual. However, it does show that the judge can recognize an individual who is universally attractive and understand and agree why others also find that person good-looking. Naini writes that “After all, when we describe a face as beautiful, we do not merely mean that it pleases us. We are describing the face, not our judgment. We will often point to features of the face to back up our statement” (Naini 1). Symmetry comes into play again with placement of facial characteristics in order to determine the level of someone’s beauty. Naini quotes a statement from Marcus Vitruvius Pollio, a Roman architect, who stated that “In the human body there is a kind of symmetrical harmony…” (Naini 3). This quote backs up the mathematical evidence of symmetry, as well as the importance of facial characteristics placement on a person’s face. Leonardo