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Attractiveness of natural faces compared to computer constructed perfectly symmetrical faces
Dahlia W Zaidel1, Choi Deblieck
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095-1563, USA. dahliaz@ucla.edu
Abstract:
Attractiveness of natural faces was compared to perfectly symmetrical faces constructed on the computer from digitized photographs, in order to assess the role of left-right symmetry in beauty assessment. Three different groups of participants viewed separate series of sequentially presented faces (natural faces, left-left, and right-right) and provided attractiveness ratings on a 5-point Likert scale. The results revealed statistically significant lower ratings for the computer constructed left-left and right-right compared to the natural faces. The discussion is in the context of a biological trend away from perfect symmetry in primates consequent to adaptive evolutionary alteration favoring functional asymmetry in the brain, perception, and face.
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