The golden section hypothesis

The golden section hypothesis states that a visual form is most aesthetically pleasing when the ratio of the dimensions (x,y) equals the ratio of the larger dimension to the sum of the two, i.e. x/y = y/(x + y). The ratio of larger to smaller is then 1.618....A review of studies of the golden section hypothesis indicates that the attempt to determine preferences for certain ratios by asking subjects to rank a fixed series of stimuli does not lead to meaningful results. A simple experiment shows that about half of the subject rank the stimuli in order of increasing or decreasing ratio. The study of preferred ratios from drawings is subject to fewer methodological problems. The modal length-to-breadth ratio of 515 drawn ellipses was found to be 1.60-1.79, close to the golden section. However, a similar "preference" was found for the length of the drawings, indicating that such group preferences are probably of little aesthetic or psychological importance.