[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] A study has found that faces perceived as attractive share certain features. For women, slimmer faces and fuller lips were rated as more attractive, while for men, faces with a strong jawline and well-defined contours received higher marks.
Researchers from Greece and Switzerland analyzed the relationship between facial shape and attractiveness after precisely 3D-scanning the faces of 601 people aged 21 to 35. They published the findings in the international journal Progress in Orthodontics.
The team set 1,021 digital landmarks on each participant's face to examine facial geometry in detail. Unlike earlier studies that compared only a few measurements such as nose length or face width, this study evaluated the overall facial shape in three dimensions.
A panel of three men and three women then rated the facial photos on a scale from 0 to 100.
The analysis found that women who scored highly tended to have slimmer faces with less cheek fullness and narrower overall facial width. Their noses were narrower, with the tip slightly projecting forward, and their lips were fuller. Faces were also rated as more attractive when their contours were sharper and more three-dimensional.
The researchers explained, "Attractive female faces tended to show reduced facial volume and sharper contours, except for the upper lip." They added, "A more angular and defined facial structure was associated with higher attractiveness."
For men, the pattern was not as clear as it was for women, but faces with a strong jaw, sharp contours, and angular features were rated relatively higher.
The researchers said, "An attractive face is not determined by a single perfect nose or jaw, but by the natural harmony of multiple facial features."
They said the findings could help medical fields that deal with facial shape, such as plastic surgery and orthodontic treatment, better understand patients' aesthetic needs.
Jang Jong-ho, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
