Average value of external attractiveness

Physical attractiveness is something that everyone can see and understand with their intuitive senses, yet difficult to put into words.

So what makes for a charming face? It's hard to describe. When you see a good example, you only know it's one.

Several studies have tried to decipher this facial code. I think the most appealing argument is that average faces tend to be the most attractive.

Take 1000 people as an example, and let the software program generate the average value of their face — an artificial face with average cheekbone height, average eye spacing, average lip fullness, etc. In particular, cross-cultural (mixed) images are often the images people are most likely to judge as the most attractive and frequently used.

One evolutionary explanation is that non-average traits may have a higher-than-average risk of reproduction. They may or may not affect reproductive health at all, but it's like nature is implying, “Why risk it? It's fine to aim for average”

People like familiarity. This applies not only to faces, but also to products, occupations, and styles. It's almost like nature's risk management system.

Excerpt from Morgan Housel Feb 2023