Less Is More: Eye-Tracking Reveals How Nose Noticeability Influences Facial Attractiveness.

Area of Science:

• Plastic Surgery
• Facial Aesthetics
• Ophthalmology

Background:

• Facial attractiveness significantly impacts social perception.
• While eyes and mouth are key focal points, nasal aesthetics' role is understudied.
• This study investigates nose shape, attractiveness, and visual attention using eye-tracking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the relationship between nasal aesthetics and overall facial attractiveness.
• To understand how nose shape influences visual attention patterns.
• To evaluate the impact of specific nasal features on perceived attractiveness.

Main Methods:

• 34 models and 31 observers participated, with models undergoing 2D/3D imaging and 17 anthropometric measurements.
• Observers used an eye-tracker to record fixation durations and revisit counts for facial features.
• Facial and nasal attractiveness were rated on a 10-point scale, with gaze metrics analyzed against ratings and measurements.

Main Results:

• Unattractive noses attracted more visual attention to the nose and mouth (total fixation duration: nose 0.81±0.14s vs. 0.72±0.12s, P =0.03; mouth 0.65±0.13s vs. 0.54±0.07s, P =0.03).
• Attractive noses directed more visual attention to the eyes (total fixation duration: 1.92±0.15s vs. 1.69±0.27s, P =0.02).
• Nasal tip deviation (P =0.01) and longer upper lips (P =0.05) correlated with lower attractiveness; neoclassical canons and nasal width had minimal impact (P >0.05).

Conclusions:

• Attractive noses enhance facial harmony by minimizing self-attention and directing gaze towards features like the eyes.
• Findings emphasize holistic facial assessment over isolated nasal evaluation in rhinoplasty.
• Future research should include dynamic stimuli and diverse populations for refined aesthetic perception understanding.