On the different theories of beauty and the role of perception in the judgment of beauty.
The
psychology of beauty is complex not just because the concept of beauty
is as yet undefined but also because it is largely true that beauty lies
in the eyes of the beholder or how individuals perceive other people or
things. Beauty can be attributed to everything that appeals to our
senses and all objects that are compatible with our personal
preferences. Beauty as we perceive it is largely a projection of our
needs and beautiful objects or persons simply cater to our idealizations
or fancies and reflect our natural need to relate to all that is
appealing. Human beings are controlled by the senses and we tend to
repeat processes or experiences that appeal to the senses, that are
harmonious and have structure and form. Beauty appeals to our sense of
sight so there is a preference for repeating the experience of beauty.
But
how do we perceive beauty and why are some people or objects considered
more beautiful than some others? Psychological tests have considered
symmetry and proportion as extremely important in the perception of
beauty. Beauty is also more holistic than specific as a beautiful object
is judged as a whole package that is appealing rather than judged on
the basis of its parts. Freudian or psychoanalytic explanations of
beauty are scarce but psychoanalytic concepts could be used to consider
our judgment of beauty as a projection or wish fulfillment so people
attractive to us are typically ones who we admire or who in some way
represent our own desires and fancies. Psychoanalysis can also be
compatible with the idea that beauty is preferential perception when
there are similarities with a parent. Most people are also considered
beautiful when they have baby-faced features or a particular innocence
in their faces. Beauty can also be culturally motivated so in certain
eastern cultures women with beautiful feet are considered attractive
whereas in the Victorian era in England, women with elegance and grace
were the ones with smooth neck and tiny waist and modern western women
are judged on the basis of their breasts, bottom and lips. The
perception of beauty can change and studies have found that women may
prefer softer features of men during particular times and more masculine
features at other times depending on the stage of their reproductive
cycle. So there are actually several theories of beauty which are
discussed here one by one.
1. Beauty as Symmetry and Proportion -
As you might have noticed in case of ancient architectural marvels,
symmetry was extremely important. Whether it was the great pyramids in
Egypt or the architectural wonders in Greece, symmetry and perfect
dimensions played an important part in the history of aesthetics. This
whole idea of symmetry also applies to every other object or person that
we perceive so a person with perfectly symmetrical face would also be
considered as an epitome of physical perfection. Perfectly shaped and
sharp features are attractive to most people and the most beautiful
faces are the ones which have very proportionate features. The same
applies to the body and the low waist to hip ratio giving a curvy lower
part of the body in women is considered more attractive than a straight
shape which usually does not indicate fertility. As human beings are
finally looking for evolutionary advantage women with a curvy shapes are
considered more fertile and are thus more attractive to men. Similarly
men with athletic and muscular bodies are attractive to women. However
many men might not prefer extremely voluptuous or curvy women just like
many women may not prefer extremely muscular men. This suggests that
proportion is also about moderation or maybe human beings are more
comfortable with certain moderation in what they perceive rather than
excess and that way the perception of beauty may even depend on some
sort of social programming.
2. Beauty as a whole rather than parts -
When we consider something beautiful, we usually try to take a broad
holistic view. Thus when we consider a rose as beautiful, we are less
attentive towards each petal and consider the symmetry of the flower as a
whole. In a similar manner, when we consider the face of a man or a
woman, beauty is the composite quality that seems to represent the
entire face of the individual rather than the parts or particular
features. Our senses prefer a holistic view and perception of things and
thus a person is considered attractive or beautiful only when all
features add up to something really pleasant to the senses.
3. Beauty as projection and wish fulfillment -
The perception of beauty is not only a mental process but also a deeply
personal one. If say your lover has blonde hair, you might find other
blonde haired people very attractive because you tend to project your
inner fancies on to other people. The 'he' looks like my lover or 'she'
looks like my lover is a common syndrome in our perception of beauty and
people who are remotely similar to our mates are suddenly more
beautiful to us than others. The same projection applies in case of
selecting a mate who resembles a parent. If a man looks like your father
or a member of the family he is obviously far more attractive to you
than to others. The wish fulfillment theory is also equally true and
when we want to be like someone in terms of talents or certain
qualities, we naturally consider that person as absolutely perfect and
beautiful. Some teenagers may idolize popular actors or actresses and
the need to be like them also determines their own perception of beauty.
