Divine proportions in attractive and nonattractive faces.
OBJECTIVE
To test Ricketts' 1982 hypothesis that facial beauty is measurable by comparing attractive and nonattractive faces of females and males with respect to the presence of the divine proportions.


METHODS
The analysis of frontal view facial photos of 90 cover models (50 females, 40 males) from famous fashion magazines and of 34 attractive (29 females, five males) and 34 nonattractive (13 females, 21 males) persons selected from a group of former orthodontic patients was carried out in this study. Based on Ricketts' method, five transverse and seven vertical facial reference distances were measured and compared with the corresponding calculated divine distances expressed in phi-relationships (f=1.618). Furthermore, transverse and vertical facial disproportion indices were created.


RESULTS
For both the models and patients, all the reference distances varied largely from respective divine values. The average deviations ranged from 0.3% to 7.8% in the female groups of models and attractive patients with no difference between them. In the male groups of models and attractive patients, the average deviations ranged from 0.2% to 11.2%. When comparing attractive and nonattractive female, as well as male, patients, deviations from the divine values for all variables were larger in the nonattractive sample.


CONCLUSIONS
Attractive individuals have facial proportions closer to the divine values than nonattractive ones. In accordance with the hypothesis of Ricketts, facial beauty is measurable to some degree.
Pancherz
Hans
H
Department of Orthodontics, University of Giessen, Giessen, Germany. Hans.Pancherz@dentist.med.uni-giessen.de
Knapp
Verena
V
Erbe
Christina
C
Heiss
Anja Melina
AM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D001504:Beauty; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods*; D002680:Chin / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005123:Eye / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D005546:Forehead / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009055:Mouth / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010781:Photography; D012737:Sex Factors; D012928:Social Desirability; D014716:Vertical Dimension; D055815:Young Adult