Facial Symmetry - - How Symmetrical is My Face?
83How Symmetry Creates Beauty
I conducted a little visual experiment to find out which side of my face is better looking. I had read something at some time about how symmetry of facial characteristics is tied to beauty. I thought I might change my profile picture to only the better side, not allowing the ugly side to bring down the handsome side. I know that this would trick everyone, but it backfired on me anyway. Read on.
When I looked at my picture, at first I noticed little things: one eye has a dark circle under it, one ear sticks out a little more, one side's hairline is more receded, one eyebrow is higher, and one jaw line is thicker. I wasn't sure which side would end up being better; they both seemed pretty messed up. According to symmetry, I am a pretty messed up dude.
Asymmetrical Portrait
Left Side Symmetry
Right Side Symmetry
Discovery of a New Face Phenomenon
By making a mirror image of my face, I was able to create perfect symmetry. Thus I had created the perfect face, right? Wrong! What I didn't catch before is that one side of my face is skinny and the other side is fat. And it isn't just some kind of photoshop trick either. If you look closely, the skinny side even has a bobble head neck and shoulders, and my fat side has a linebacker neck and shoulders. Then I got to thinking and it all makes sense. The reason my left side is so skinny is because I don't eat or work out with it much. I usually eat with my right hand and do most activities with my right hand, thus leaving my left side weak and feable. It's a wonder I don't have more back problems from the disparity. I am calling this the fat-feeble-phenomenon.
I knew that I needed to take this discovery and quickly explain it into a scientific theory. Like everything we humans fully know and understand, I knew that my theory had to support the only provable, great great great great grandfather of all scientific theories, evolutionary theory. Plus I want to get published in high-school science textbooks and couldn't think of a better way.
The best I can figure, in cave man times people had to adapt to the cruel world very quickly. In order to do so, humans had two specialized sides of their bodies for different roles. This was back when women were physically equal to men, and gender roles hadn't become established. So both men and women needed these skills at crucial times for survival, enabling them to pass on their asymmetrical genes. For example, if I needed to kill a Woolly Mammoth, I wouldn't use my computer nerd looking left side to do the job. He would just get crushed at his first attempt. If I wanted to invent the wheel so that in the future I could save a lot of money on my car insurance with Geico, I would use the left, bobble-head side.
Even though I would like to claim that I have
discovered this idea of opposing sides of people, literary characters
have symbolically depicted this phenomenon for centuries. Jekyll and
Hide and Harvey Two-Face from Batman are a couple of the most credible and noteworthy. This is proof that writers have long known about it even before photoshop was around.
The Future Of Facial Symmetry
More research needs to be done in this field. I am inviting anyone to cautiously continue my efforts here to find out more in the field of what I call the fat-feeble-phenomenon.
- Longitudinal studies need to be done to establish whether these characteristics develop due to environment, or if we are just born with these traits.
- More studies should be done on women in order to find out if they in fact have the same fat-feeble characteristics as men.
- Studies should be conducted on whether the fat-feeble-phenomenon helps with multitasking, or if it causes us to be less efficient.
- An organization should be started right away to help fight the spread of fat-feeble-phenomenon and help find cures. As I am the only known case so far, you can make checks out to me.
I don't recommend self diagnosing, but since it is a newly discovered condition you may have to at your own risk. Please note, I will not be held liable for any damages, and will not pay for treatment including but not limited to plastic surgery, weight loss treatment, etc.
The real question is: If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which eye are we talking about?
Hubber's Choice
Which Side of Blake is Better Looking?
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- Useful (4)
- Funny (5)
- Awesome (1)
- Beautiful (1)
- Interesting
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Hi, eir
Good read, keep living well
You need to stop reading liberal textbooks if you honestly believe that men and women were ever physically equal. Also, your theory is very stupid, by the way.
You took the picture at an awkward angle, you need to take from directly in front of you. Adn your theory is preposterous.
Great article! I saw a show about this years ago and they took a woman's picture and did the same thing to it. One way she looked sweet and innocent and the other way she look evil and conniving. Great hub!
I've definitely noticed that almost everyone has a "good" side to their face. One that I really noticed recently was Michael Strahan. His left side is drastically "worse" than his right side which was very "good" in my opinion. I think it definitely has to do with which part of the brain is possibly more dominant or superior to the other.
Funny stuff. I would be curious to see if there are differences between men and women, so we need a study on women, as you suggest. By the way, I got here via Shadesbreath's link too so shout out to Shadesbreath!
What about all those two faced people, there aren't any on hubpages of course, but they would have four sides to contend with. I think our scientists should spend more time on this useful stuff. You should be working on a diet for the fat side and a beefing up program for the thin side and a bit on cross eyes as this could an unforeseen side effect.
Give me the nod and i'll be on your team in a blink. I didn't have a spare million this morning, but i'll let you know if i have by this evening. Cheers enjoyed the ride.
I am a bit short on funds right now, but if I come across a million dollars, I'll send it your way! (lol)
Mysterylady,
I am still waiting on a grant to fund further study. If you would like to donate a million dollars, we could get started with the research on females.
I am here because of Shadesbreath's link, but I am glad I found you. A delightful hub! If you pay me, I'll volunteer to partake in your study of the female.
Hah! Dude, this is hilarious. I found it on the auto link recommendation thing and am totally linking this to my hub. You are a funny S.O.B. Cheers!
It may sound crazy but when I cover half of the Right Side Symmetry face the other side looks differnt! Maybe it is an optical illusion?
Justin,
Sorry you didn't get the joke.
The reason one side looks like that is because your shoulders are not even , your slouching and your face is not straight on facing the camera.
Maybe you're not original. There's something may interest you. Emotions Are Expressed More Intensely on the Left Side of the Face
Harold A. Sackeim; Ruben C. Gur; Marcel C. Saucy
Science, New Series, Vol. 202, No. 4366. (Oct. 27, 1978), pp. 434-436.
Lin,
Thanks for your expert information. I did not know about the side of brain and opposite side of facial appearance correlation. I guess that means one side of my brain is skinny and the other is fat.
HI Blake, I found your article quite by accident but as a professional face reader I could not resist leaving a comment that could possibly be a lead for your next article. The reason behind the differences between the two sides of your face stem from how you use the two sides of your brain. The right side of your face and body are run by left brain, the analytical, logical, reasoning male side of the brain. The Left side of your face and body are run by your right brain, the artistic, creative, intuitive female side of the brain. The differences of your face out picture the differences of how you function when using one or the other sides of your brain. The more symmetrical the face the more the person functions similarly when using either side of the brain. You may find it interesting that both Oprah and Tiger Woods have unsymmetrical faces also. Athletes generally have very symmetrical faces because the sport they choose (especially soccer) causes them to have to use both sides of the brain simultaneously, the same is true of a drummer or a pianist.
Oh man, Alex, thanks. I was worried I wasn't symmetrical. Cool!
Hi Blake,
I think the reason you've got two very different photos is that in the original your torso is not facing the camera dead on giving the impression your right side is a lot more hench.
Oh, and you're pretty symmetrical anyway!
Alex
I think the best thing about it is now I have an excuse for anything I do. It's kind of like "the devil made me do it." Now I just blame whichever side of me did it. It's like my split personality. "No I don't remember saying that." "I said that? That must have been my neanderthal side talking."
Hey blake
this is crazy but somehow makes sense so I totally support your theory and probably go on tour to spread this breakthrough! LOL thanks for the read, enjoyed it :D
I think my hubby and your right side would communicate well together. When he's in engineer mode, though, even I don't understand his left side.
Looks like the poll up there is half and half. So does that mean you're perfect the way you are?
I've been watching that show "True Beauty" where these 10 people who each think they are the most beautiful person in America compete. They went to a scientist who actually measures beauty much the way you were outlining it, but he assigns everything a number, then he can chart your beauty. None of them were perfect, although they all scored in the high 90s. But they were all devastated!!
Very funny stuff. I voted bobble-head.
Isn't that the way of life? The harder we try to put our best side forward, the more unbalanced we become!
It was a fun read. :D
Teresa,
I had to look up the word daft because my right side read your comment. "Thanks for the compliment," says the left side. "Oooga Booga.... Fire Good!" says the right side.
Thanks for the compliment, I will continue to try to produce more of these goofy hubs. These are the easiest for me to write. I find it easier to conduct my own studies than read others'. I am adding a poll to vote on the best looking side of me.
Funny stuff --delightfully daft.
You are 100% original, Blake! This is so funny, but so true. Could I even say Mark Twain-esque? Making the familiar hysterical? Kudos once again.
Andrea 2 months ago
I've been thinking abou this myself when it comes to who is more attractive and why. This would be a good study to do for human nature and mating.