We all know the saying “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, and the fact that there are a whole lot of strangelooking people out there happily loved up would suggest that it's true.But scientists have now performed the biggest test so far,analyzing the preferences of more than 35,000 people,and have shown that we really do all have a unique “type”.
In fact,the study showed that even identical twins,who share nearly l00 percent of their DNA, aren't attracted to the same people,suggesting that it's our experiences,more than our genes,that determine whether we find someone hot or not.
“We estimate that an individual's aesthetic(审美的)preferences for faces agree about 50 percent,and disagree about 50 percent,with others,” explained Laura Germine from Harvard University,and Jeremy Wilmer of Wellesley College,lead researchers of the project.
This fits with the phenomenon that on one hand,fashion models can make a fortune with their good looks,while on the other hand,friends can endlessly debate about who is attractive and who is not,“they added.”Of course,there are some things that people seem to find pretty much universally pleasant to look at,e.g.,most people prefer faces that are symmetric(对称的).But after analyzing the facial preferences of more than 35,000 volunteers, the researchers found that,it was experiences that seemed to be what shape the “eye of the beholder”.And those experiences are highly specific to each individual.
So in other words,it's not your family,where you grew up,or how much money your parents make that shape who you're attracted to,it's things like the magazines you read, the social activities you've take part in,and even your first boyfriend or girlfriend,that determine these preferences.