Symmetry's For Squares

It's obvious that Hollywood, a billion dollar industry, is doing something right. Yet, what would a good plot be without someone beautiful to look at. Celebrities are so appealing to us because they are, let's face it, ascetically pleasing. Not only has it been proven that we base our judgement (trustworthiness and personality) of others based on the symmetry of their faces but we base how to find a mate on it as well. The body/facial symmetry of another (specifically the opposite sex) is directly correlated to their "physical fitness and condition" (Ragsdale).  Both men and women look for someone who will produce good offspring and facial symmetry comes in handy when looking for a mate. A person with better symmetry produces better offspring.

Ryan Gosling

Jennifer Lawrence

A recent study was done by Nicholas Holtzman, Adam Augustine, and Angela Senne, to test this theory.  175 undergraduate students were tested, in which they assessed a range of about 200 personality variables. The results you ask? Well those who scored higher with symmetry also scored higher in antisocial personality traits. These traits include but are not limited to, aggression and hostility. The higher scoring symmetrical people also had lower test scores in "pro-social traits" which are traits such as empathy and socialization (Ragsdale). What this study's results, more or less showed was that beautiful people are what you remember from high school, not nice people.  (Just a little note, like all somewhat stereotypes, not everyone fits it, not all beautiful people are mean) It can be seen that two possible reasons explain why beautiful people are less kind. One reason may be that, they don't have to be nice in life to get by, their beauty is enough. Another possible explanation is that, just like we look for symmetry in a mate so they can pass it down to the next generation, these traits were also passed down, like some sort of "genetic package" (Ragsdale). 

Yet, why do we look for symmetry in mates? Some say it represents attractiveness but what links it to evolution. If it's something that's going on for generations there must have been some beautiful furrowed browed cavemen out there. Unfortunately, through fossil records, though its hard to tell through old fossils, it appears that humans have become "less physically robust over the millennia" (Ragsdale). It seems that nowadays, symmetrical mates are only preferred for short term dating, though children have still been produced in short term relationships. Maybe the need for a nasty, rugged, brutes (though sexy for a short time) are no longer needed and a fading aspect of mating. So for now, as an advantage for us less gorgeous people out there, hold on to the one thing that separates us from them, your manners and your wonderful personality.