The Biology of Beauty
Lecture Outline - Psy 252
9/14/99
What is beauty made of?
A. Female Beauty
1) Person must be healthy and clean
2) Symmetry conveys developmental stability
3) Averageness
4) Enhancing averageness with computers
The more feminized version is preferred
5) Torso
For female's waist-to-hip ration of .7 (or smaller) is ideal
6) Muscle Madness
Slight muscle enhancement is O.K., but too much interferes with
ovulation because fat stores are diminished as muscle mass increases.
B. Male Beauty
1) Person must be healthy and clean
2) Symmetry conveys developmental stability
3) Averageness
4) Enhancing averageness with computers
The more feminized version is preferred
5) Body size rules
6) Torso
For male's waist-to-hip ration of .9 is ideal
7) Muscle Madness
More muscle mass is good up to a point.
Taking drugs (which mimic testosterone) shuts down bodies
production of testosterone.
Can cause liver failure, heart problems, shrinks testes, can shut down
body's production of testosterone, which shuts down sperm production causing infertility and erectile dysfunction.