This document provides a history of theories and studies of beauty from ancient times to contemporary perspectives. It discusses ancient Greek and Roman ideas of symmetry and proportions in architecture. During the Renaissance, artists like Da Vinci and Michelangelo extensively studied human proportions. The concept of the golden ratio was analyzed from ancient Greek mathematics through the Renaissance. Studies of facial symmetry and averageness increased with technological advances. Darwin's theory of evolution by natural and sexual selection shifted the focus to biology over mathematics. Current research suggests underlying universal mechanisms govern perceptions of beauty, though culture influences preferences.

1. History of the Science of Beauty Tan Kok Hong . Lim Kia Mian . Wong RuiXiong

2. 1 Defining Beauty what is beauty? what are the theories of beauty?

3. DEFINITION OF BEAUTY WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF BEAUTY? “No particular definition”

4. DEFINITION OF BEAUTY Definitions for reference Beauty (according to Oxford Dictionary)Excelling in grace of form, charm of colouring, and other qualities, which delight the eye and call forth admiration: a) of the human face and figureb) of other objects Beauty is a basic pleasure Beauty can be something intrinsic to object (color, form, and other qualities )or simply the pleasure an object evokes

5. FROM ANCIENT TIMES

6. FROM ANCIENT TIMES < < <

7. FROM ANCIENT TO CONTEMPORARY “Propertiesof beauty are the same, whether we are seeing a beautiful woman, flower, landscape or circle.”

8. 2 Golden Ratio what is the golden proportion? why is it significant?

10. GOLDEN RATIO “VISUAL DEFINITION”

11. GOLDEN RATIO Golden rectangle: side lengths are in golden ratio When a square section is removed, we find another golden rectangle. This pattern can be repeated infinitely. Corresponding corners of the squares form an infinite sequence of points on the golden spiral, the unique logarithmic spiral with this property. 34 5 8 3 21 13

12. GOLDEN RATIO: A History

13. GOLDEN RATIO: A History

14. GOLDEN RATIO: Architecture

15. GOLDEN RATIO: Art and Nature

16. Middle Ages and Renaissance GOLDEN RATIO: Analysis Fits in with the idea of perfection and harmony overabundance of mystical thinking, speculation and fiction Food for Thought: Why did ancient philosophers and so many others support this idea? Is the Golden perfection real?

17. GOLDEN RATIO: Analysis

18. GOLDEN RATIO: Analysis

19. GOLDEN RATIO: Analysis & Summary Idea that the Golden Ratio was used in designing ancient architecture dubious Interesting mathematical concepts Influence from the ancient Greeks and Renaissance period Unique aesthetic properties Lack of academic sources

20. 3 Symmetry symmetry as beauty? why is symmetry beautiful?

21. SYMMETRY BY GREEKS AND ROMANS Symmetry is the foundation for numerous Greek and Roman architecture, continuing into the Renaissance Victorian-style pillars Trevi Fountain (Renaissance) Pantheon of Rome (Roman Empire) Parthenon of Acropolis (Ancient Greece)

22. SYMMETRY: FACIAL SYMMETRY 96%

23. SIR FRANCIS GALTON Sir Francis Galton (1811-1911) half-cousin of Charles’ Darwin Polymath, numerous contributions to many scientific fields such asmeteorology, psychology, criminology 1876 - 1900: Composite Photography projecting face photographs of many different individuals onto a single piece of photographic film Galton’s colleagues noted that composites tended to be more attractive than the individual faces

25. Identification of “typical criminal faces”Led to further studies of facial averageness!

26. FACIAL AVERAGENESS Study of Facial Averageness Numerous studies were conducted throughout the century BUT with advent of technology, greatly improved the studies 1886: Stoddard 1990: Psychologists Langlois and Roggman 2005: Imaging Researcher Pierre Tourigny Computer algorithms revealed that symmetry plays a big role in human faces

27. FACIAL AVERAGENESS Female celebrities Caucasian males Caucasian females Caucasian females

28. FACIAL AVERAGENESS Composite of 60 faces consistently over 90%

29. DIFFERING INTEPRETATIONS (1) symmetric individuals are attractive because they are particularly healthy (2)averageness reflects optimal design of physical traits by nature human visual system favours processing symmetric than asymmetric stimuli

30. Biological advances and knowledge Symmetry: Analysis Greek, Roman and Renaissance developments in architecture Technological innovations (photography, computer algorithms) study of non-scientific fields (eugenics)

31. LIMITATIONS OF EXPLANATION still beautiful?

32. 4 Proportions proportion as beauty? what proportions are significant?

33. PROPORTIONALITY 92%

34. PROPORTIONALITY “What do we identify visuallyas human?” Studying of proportions really took off during the Renaissance Renaissance: the focus is back on HUMANS, THE HUMAN BODY Focus on aesthetics brought about numerous developments in the study of proportions that define humans

35. ANCIENT GREEKS AND ROMANS

36. MICHELANGELO

37. LEONARDO DA VINCI

38. FACIAL PROPORTIONALITY Renaissance Period Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo did extensive studies concerning the proportions of human face Formed the basis of aesthetic knowledge on human faces

39. BODY PROPORTIONALITY Renaissance period Ideal height as having a head to body ratio of 1:8 V-shaped torso Recent research Men: a waist-to-shoulder ratio of 0.75 or lower are viewed as considerably more attractive

40. Proportionality

41. BEAUTIFICATION Marquardt Beauty Mask Dr. Stephen R. Marquardt Retired oral and maxillofacial surgeon Based on decagon structures Female Mask Male Mask Side Profile

42. BEAUTY MASK David Beckham Megan Fox Angelina Jolie Marilyn Monroe

43. Artistic developments of Renaissance Man Proportion: Analysis Renaissance focus on Humans as SPECIAL CREATION of God Architecture and Aestheticspropelling Humanistic studies New Anatomical studies

44. 5 Evolutionary Beauty what is the impact of evolution on beauty?

46. BUT, Measurement systems have failed to turn up a beauty formula!

47. Another example how ideas of ancient philosophers have misguided later generations

49. DARWINIAN APPROACH TO BEAUTY Beauty is nature’s way of acting at a distance Evolution’s trick is to make things beautiful, to make them exert a magnetism, and give one pleasuresimply by looking at them The experience of beauty is a component of a series of Darwinian adaptations Universality of our artistic and aesthetic taste can be explained by Darwinian theory of beauty

50. UNIVERSALITY OF BEAUTY Is beauty a universal concept? “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder?” How about culture and media influences?

51. UNIVERSALITY OF BEAUTY ACROSS AGE Even 3 month old infants prefer to gaze at faces that adults find beautiful, including faces from races they have not seen before 7 year olds, 12 year olds, 17 year olds and adults do not differ significantly in their ratings of attractiveness of faces of children and adults

52. UNIVERSALITY OF BEAUTY ACROSS CULTURE Jones and Hill asked people from 5 cultures to rate a multiracial, multicultural set of faces 2 isolated tribes, Hiwi and Ache Indians Russian Brazil United States

53. UNIVERSALITY OF BEAUTY People tend to agree which faces are beautiful and find similar features attractive across ethnically diverse faces All attracted to similar geometric proportions in the face Female faces with small lower faces (delicate jaws and relatively small chins) and eyes that were large in relation to the length of the face are preferred

54. UNIVERSALITY OF BEAUTY “Is beauty a universal concept?” Underlying universal mechanisms are responsible for beauty Beauty is an engineered manifestation Perception of beauty features may be governed by circuits shaped by natural selection in the human brain

55. UNIVERSALITY OF BEAUTY But people still seem to be largely agreeable and consistent in ratings of beauty People quote culture as being important BUT it still requires a basic premise that coheres with human intrinsic preferences of beauty and instinct “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder?” “How about culture and media influences?”

56. 6 Conclusion thoughts on the history and theories of beauty

57. CONCLUSION For thousands of years, philosophers, mathematicians and artists have tried to explain beauty using the language of mathematicsbut focus has been on details and intricacies Darwin’s evolution theory provides a big picture: Experience of beauty, with its emotional intensity and pleasure, belongs to our evolved human psychology Darwinian approach can be used to explain the universality and functionality of beauty The answer to questions pertaining to beauty may lie in cognitive neuroscience and biology

58. History of the Science of Beauty Tan Kok Hong . Lim Kia Mian . Wong RuiXiong