hair & beauty
BEAUTY
& the psyche “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder�
Beauty, whether looking at a face, a painting or a natural landscape, is a very subjective experience. A moonlit lake may evoke romance to one person while another, perhaps adverse to water, may prefer the warmth of a rug beside a log fire. These differences in personal preferences can also be seen in our perception of physical attractiveness too. Inside the brain the same areas are active when we judge something to be beautiful or displeasing. In the orbitofrontal cortex, our reward centre, activity is increased when we see something attractive while the activity in our motor cortex decreases. This activity is reversed when viewing something we find unattractive. When viewing images of faces well balanced proportions tend to elicit positive responses from participants in scientific studies and 6
these results have been replicated across cultures. The general conclusions for these outcomes suggest we have a biological bias that associates visual regularity with optimum functioning and disease resistance in a potential mate. Hmm, romantic! One major problem with these studies is the diffusion of the subtleties of our individual feelings into wider group data. Large data sets decrease the specifics of experience and therefore is not a true reflection of personal preference. A scientific understanding of beauty is far from complete. It’s fair to say that the brain enjoys patterns. It seems more comfortable when experiencing that which it expects. So while strong, standout features can be strikingly beautiful in their own right, balanced natural beauty will always be appreciated.
