Beautiful Faces Make People Happy
Bad news for us ugly folk…
Something about this research makes me feel so sad.
“This [study] suggests that attractive faces may have a particular attention and emotion grabbing effect. The effect seems so strong, it seems to work even when a face hasn’t registered in our conscious mind.”
It reminds me of that book I read:
Despite the advances, plastic surgery isn’t good enough to make an ugly person pretty. I guess we’ll just have to realize that we appall people subconsciously and run with it.
Boo!
Well, I’ll tell you something, there’s nothing that turns me off more (I say that, but there probably is) than a handsome/pretty person who is sour, not smiling, or better yet, yelling into a cell phone. There is something wonderful, calming, happy-making about a person who isn’t a “ten” giving you a heartwarming smile and looking you in the eyes.
Does that make sense? :)
Comment by Susan — 7/19/2007 @ 8:46 am
I love beauty. Just remember that what we currently define as beautiful is hugely a social construct. So… the research could conceivably work in reverse. Maybe what makes us happy we think of as beautiful.
In fact, that makes sense with research that shows that we find familiar faces more beautiful. (That may be WHY we can develop a social construct of beauty- we see a particular pattern and come to find it pleasing.)
I think health is probably innately pleasing to us, but there is a wide range of healthy that does not correspond to current ideas about what is beautiful.
Whichever theory is right, it makes me happy to see your face.
Comment by B. — 7/19/2007 @ 4:38 pm