Take Several Hundred Photos of Faces: You Get The Average Man and Woman.

Post National Monitor ^ | 2/5/2011 | Post National Monitor

[Dallas59]

Women

What feature makes a face attractive? Is it the average proportions of that face? We examined this popular theory ("averageness hypothesis") by conducting an experiment: We asked subjects to rate the attractiveness of all original faces and composites, which were calculated from 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64 original faces. The results are: The attractiveness ratings of the transformed faces depend on the number of original faces that have been used to create them. The more original images were used to create the composite, the more attractive it was rated. (r = 0.57 ** for female faces, r = 0.64 ** for male faces). On the one hand this result tends to support the averageness hypothesis put forward by Langlois & Roggman (1990), on the other hand we could clearly show: The ratings of the morphed faces also depend on the attractiveness of the underlying original faces (r = 0.75 ** for female faces, r = 0.68 ** for male faces).

This means: Average faces are attractive, but not all of them. It is crucial which faces are used to compute an average face. Composites made from unattractive faces remain rather unattractive and average faces from attractive faces remain attractive. This clearly contradicts the averageness hypothesis, which holds that merely the number of faces contained in a composite alone accounts for the attractiveness ratings.

Surprisingly, especially male faces benefit from being blended together with respect to their attractiveness. This does not support older findings that found positive effects only for women. Bad image quality of the faces, especially blurred contours, may be the cause for it.

Why are the resulting average faces generally beautiful? One reason might be the fact that by calculating average proportions unpleasant asymmetries and irregularities become levelled out. Moreover, by blending together several faces wrinkles and pimples gradually disappear. As a consequence, the skin looks younger and perfectly smooth.

By conducting another experiment we could show that it is these skin-smoothing side effects rather than the averaged proportions that account for the increased attractiveness ratings of the composites (see reformed facial proportions).

Composite Of Europeans

[Yo-Yo]

They’re both the same face.

[Hardastarboard]

Good observation. I didn’t notice that.

[edpc]

The only differences are the hairline and eyebrow texture.

[CondiArmy]

Just damn! Time to move to Burma or Ethiopia.

But seriously, did anyone tell the researchers that South Africa is 90% black?

[edpc]

What feature makes a face attractive?

It's very subjective. Personally, I don't find square-featured jaws or cleft chins attractive on females. But...that's just me.

[DainBramage]

Recalibration photo

[LoveUSA]

The problem with this study is that it relies on two-dimensional images. There are specific features that make a person "photogenic" and one of them is a square-shaped face. This makes sense because a square face allows the features to be viewed in perfect context to the size and shape of the head when flattened by a photograph. OTH, there are people who are attractive, even beautiful, who have elongated or more angular faces. In the three-dimensional experience of the real world, their faces are attractive because a particular feature such as a large nose or thin-lipped mouth is reduced in visual importance because the edges of the face are not sharply defined.

The net is: beauty here is defined as "photogenic".

[LiteKeeper]

Cheek bones on picture on the right are higher, characteristic of the female face.

[enraged]

If it’s all the same, I’ll go with the one on the right.

[null and void]

Her eyes are larger, chin is slightly narrower, he has a 5 o’clock shadow, her cheek bones are a little more delicate, he has a bigger neck.

But yeah, they’re very similar.

Average, you might say...

[Optimist]

creepy

[Doc Savage]

Shouldn’t she also have beard???????????????

[Doc Savage]

Holy Crap! How did you get a photo of a Sasquatch???????????????

[seowulf]

So, when someone tells a cop that the perp looked average this is what they mean.

These photos should come in handy.

Round up the usual suspects!

[miele man]

Amazingly beautiful women for “average” faces. Very interesting study.

[corkoman]

whoa - these two look like my two eldest kids - hes 20 shes 22. It figures - Dad is Irish and Mom is cuban.

[Chode]

phi = 1.61803399

[martin_fierro]

Average faces are attractive, but not all of them. It is crucial which faces are used to compute an average face. Composites made from unattractive faces remain rather unattractive and average faces from attractive faces remain attractive.

I'm just glad they left you two out.