The golden ratio-dispelling the myth

Area of Science:

• Aesthetics
• Anthropometry
• Biometrics

Background:

• The golden ratio is frequently cited in scientific literature.
• Claims link the golden ratio to beauty and idealized forms in nature.
• Specifically, its purported connection to idealized human proportions is often discussed.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically examine claims linking the golden ratio to beauty.
• To investigate the proposed connection between the golden ratio and idealized human proportions.
• To assess the scientific validity of these claims in clinical literature.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical literature from the nineteenth century to the present.
• Analysis of studies making claims about the golden ratio's role in aesthetics and proportions.
• Evaluation of the evidential support for cited claims.

Main Results:

• Claims regarding the golden ratio's link to beauty and idealized human proportions are not supported by evidence.
• Nineteenth-century claims through to modern-day clinical literature lack empirical support.
• No convincing evidence demonstrates a connection between the golden ratio and facial beauty or idealized proportions.

Conclusions:

• There is no convincing scientific evidence that the golden ratio is linked to idealized human proportions or facial beauty.
• Current evidence does not support the application of the golden ratio in orthognathic surgery or facial aesthetic/reconstructive planning.
• The use of the golden ratio in the analysis of surgical results is also not supported by current evidence.