| | On a rational level i find it interesting that beauty seems to require, or be, symmetry.
When, at the start of the century, physiognomy was examined - the belief that you could judge personality from facial appearance - it was attempted to reveal criminals by their appearance - Charles Galton, the eccentric cousin of Charles Darwin superimposed the faces of many criminals seeking to find the 'criminal face type'. The result, average and symmetrical as it was, was a good looking guy. People were asked to 'guess the criminal' from a bunch of mug-shots and always chose the asymmetrical faces to be criminal. And while physiognomy is rubbish, it's not completely wrong, we are less likely to achieve success if we are asymmetrical, hence more likely to become criminal.
The single feature that matters time and again in animal studies is symmetry. Insects, birds, and mammals prefer a mate with symmetry and balance.
One genetic characteristic that symmetry reveals is genetic diversity. The more heterozygous the individual, the more facial symmetry is observed. The ability to successfully resist or withstand various environmental traumas or parasitic infection. A heterozygous individual has a wider range of genetic potential to resist parasitic invaders--to produce proteins that are unfamiliar to infectious organisms. Pathogens are least resistant to rare alleles.
Women with very symmetrical partners were more than twice as likely to climax during sexual intercourse. When asked by British researchers to select a 'good looking' face, from a diverse collection, whites, Asians and Latinos from 13 countries, made identical choices. Even infants have a sense of what is attractive: 3- and 6-month-old infants will gaze longer at an attractive - symmetrical - face that one the is not attractive. Regardless of nationality, age, or ethnic background, people share a sense of attractiveness.
Our brain has developed to look for symmetry on other levels as well - we have our two eyes, seeking near identical images in order to create one image, we seek to combine things that are alike. The recognition of similarities in otherwise unrelated things is what allows us to abstract.
Even Brandon accepts to seek beauty, to place less value on the facial beauty could be an attempt to seek symmetry as a couple, but beauty of the mind is beauty all the same. And my guess is - correct me if i'm wrong Brandon - that you seek facial beauty as well, maybe not standard beauty of 2005, but you would not be as likely to fall for a lady you thought ugly - it would take an extremely beautiful mind at least. Personally i find the anorectic supermodels to be a direct turn-off, but i do look for physical beauty nonetheless.
Einstein worked hard to keep his equations aesthetically pleasing, quantum-mechanics seeks symmetry, even super-symmetry, the music of bach as an extreme example of the general symmetry we can find in most music. The symmetry in architecture - even the rococo had it's twisted symmetry. We have symmetry in poems, and in the structure of well written books, in trees and flowers.
While we seem obsessed by the clean symmetry of the circle, it is as challenging as a four-piece-puzzle, it is pleasing, but not fulfilling, we seek complex symmetry, to challenge our sense of pleasure.
Personally i place function over form, but only just. Something that works well, but looks bad, i would tend to replace with something that might work a little less well but looks better - provided it works - something that just looks good, but doesn't work has no value.
Symmetry and beauty has been important in our ability to survive, so from symmetry in genes to symmetry in art and nature, we find it rewarding because it has been proven to be rewarding.
On a rational level i find it interesting that beauty seems to require, or be, symmetry. The pleasure i feel on a subconscious level, however, does not need justification, it is right because it feels good. At the risk of making a tautological statement i find all the beauty in cozy charm.
(Edited by Søren Olin
on 7/29, 5:56am)
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