Search results
Mar 18, 2024 · Human skin pigmentation is not just for appearance’s sake. They can have major impacts on your overall health. Keep reading to learn more about your skin color, including the genetics behind it, the other factors that influence it, and what it could mean for your health.
- Overview
- How the study found beauty
- Could we change beauty genes?
- Bottom line
For some people, having a pretty face is like having a winning lottery ticket you can cash again and again.
Research tells us people who are perceived to be attractive aren’t only more likely to have better jobs and make more money. They’re thought of as having more positive personality attributions too.
If they commit a crime, they may be viewed less harshly and may even have bail set at a lower amount.
Standards of beauty can of course change depending on the era and the culture or the person. After all, there is the phrase, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” for a reason. But it is also true that some people’s appearance is so physically attractive to others, they can benefit from it.
So, can you find what genetically makes a person attractive?
Right now, scientists understand very little about what makes a person attractive — at least when it comes to their genes.
In a study published this month in PLOS Genetics, lead author Qiongshi Lu, assistant professor in the department of statistics at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and his colleagues used attractiveness scores to locate and identify several genes correlated to facial attractiveness in 4,383 individuals.
In order to rate attractiveness, the researchers asked volunteers, or “coders,” to score yearbook photos of individuals on a scale from “not at all attractive” to “extremely attractive.” Each coder looked at 12 photos.
The attractiveness scores in hand, the researchers then compared the coders’ rating scores to each person’s genetic makeup, looking for correlations or crossover genes.
Amid that genetic information they found a “handful of candidate genes.”
They also found that those genes varied by sex.
In females, the genetic variations that most closely related to facial attractiveness were linked to genes that affect body mass, or the measure of a person’s weight and height.
Genes alone don’t tell a whole picture about attractiveness. A person’s lifestyle can greatly influence that, says Dr. Charlie Chen, a plastic surgeon with experience in gene therapy research.
“Many features have environmental factors, such as smoking or diet, that change the results of our looks, like facial skin textures,” he said.
Another complication is that beauty ideals can change over time or in different cultures.
But this search for attractiveness genes might underpin something that other areas of genetic research are wondering and attempting: Can we eventually manipulate or change genes to boost the chances of attractiveness?
Perhaps, Chen says, but not anytime soon.
“At this point, we can now identify parts of the gene that determine or are associated with certain physical or hormonal traits. These traits are likely multifactorial, so there’s not a single gene that can be switched on or off,” he said.
Attractiveness is well understood to be a benefit in life. It can help people find jobs, earn more money, and even have a better social and dating life.
But until now, researchers had very little understanding of how physical attractiveness related to genes.
If both parents were merles, the result in reality would likely be a very rare and problematic double-recessive genetic combination called a white Australian shepherd, which is susceptible to genetic defects involving their eyes and ears.
Oct 25, 2023 · No one gene makes us athletic, smart, or sexy! The expression of genetic potential requires the proper environment, opportunities, nutrition, training, and support systems. Understanding the genetics behind human diversity and achievement is endlessly fascinating.
Apr 15, 2023 · Here are 22 Gen Z celebs who called out or challenged Hollywood's "traditional" beauty standards: Warning: Mentions of eating disorders. 1. Florence Pugh told Vogue, "I had a weird chapter at...
Are there families of "beautiful people" just as there are families of "intellectuals" or "musicians"? The doctors we have asked to answer these questions have given different opinions. One fact remains certain: observation of the reality around us very often holds surprises.
People also ask
Is there a'master gene' that determines a person's attractiveness?
How do genes affect facial attractiveness?
Does focusing too much on 'good genes' promote unhealthy attitudes about human value?
Is skin color genetically dominant?
Why is real life genetic inheritance more complicated than the Mendelian model?
Do female mates spread the 'best' genes through a population?
Mar 28, 2007 · For decades biologists have tried to explain why evolution hasn't given us all Hollywood good looks. A new study shows why you don't look like this.
