Golden Ratio

Today in Animal Behavior {quite possibly the most fascinating class ever}, we were learning about the Mate Choice Models, specifically the Good Genes theory. Now I say that this class is fascinating because it is the only college course I have ever taken and thought, "well duh," every time a new concept is taught {except for sociology}. The reason behind this is that, I am an animal, in a scientific sense, and so when I learn about the reasons for my own behaviors, I sort of already know the answers... Got it?

Back to my story. Today we were learning about the Good Genes mate choice model, which basically states that, "females are predisposed to pick males with genes for traits better suited to the environment that can be passed on to their offspring." So basically, if I want my kids to thrive in today's superficial media motivated social environment, I can't marry someone because "he has a great personality"... Right?


One way that "females" in the wild can tell if a potential mate has good genes is through the use of Symmetry.

Although this is a highly controversial topic, it is applicable among human beings as well. Take celebrities for example... It isn't necessarily that they are more beautiful than the-average-Joe, it's that their faces are more symmetrical than most, and therefore they are flattering in 2D and are therefore seen as more attractive to the masses. {The rare exception is Owen Wilson, his nose is far from symmetrical.}

This was the figure shown in class, and mostly everyone agreed that the man on the left, with the symmetric face, was in fact more attractive.

It goes without saying, that I would not fare well in the animal kingdom...

This silly photo actually sparked my curiosity. I wondered what I would like if my face were symmetrical... so I snapped a regular photo of my face:

I like my left eyebrow, because it doesn't have a scar in it. I also like my left eye because it is bigger and more "awake" then my right "squinty" eye. I like that I have a cheekbone on my right side, but I like my slender left jaw bone and chin. I also love my fuller right side lips. As far as the ears go, I like that my right one doesn't stick out as much as the left...

In Photoshop I first duplicated the left side of my face, flipped it and covered the right side of my face with it. This is what I would look like if my face were Left-sided-symmetrical:

Not horrible, but my head is too big for my neck and chin... I do like the way my eyes and nose look though. I decided to do the same thing, but with the right side of my face. Right-side-symmetry:

Holy smokes, I look like a different person! A bit baby-face and mannish if you ask me. That's a bit of a contradiction, but wow.

Conclusion: I am glad my face is asymmetrical and imperfect.

On another note, BF and I saw Shutter Island last night. It was good, I totally guessed the ending, but there were more twists that I didn't see coming. It's not scary at all, just a good ol' psychological thriller. I recommend it. Also, BF brought me these:

A dozen pink roses. Why? No reason. He saw them in the store, knows how much I like pink, and knew it would bother him if he didn't get them. Reason #136 why I ♥ him.