What Does Science Say Makes Someone Attractive? - Macken Murphy - #751

**Chris Williamson** (0:00)
Hello everybody, welcome back to the show. My guest today is Macken Murphy. He's an evolutionary biologist at Oxford University, a writer and a podcaster. No one has ever said that they want to be less attractive, but what does attractive actually mean? What do humans like to look at in other humans and why? Thankfully, science has some insights to help you understand why you like what you like. Expect to learn the role of symmetry in attraction, why the most average faces are actually the most attractive ones, how important muscles, waist to hip ratio, tattoos, beards, eye color, height and voice are, how to work out what is a stated and what is a revealed preference in attraction, and much more. So much fascinating stuff in this episode. Macken is a beast. He's knee deep, balls deep in all of the research, and I very much appreciate him. I very much appreciated catching up with him, and he is an impressive individual, and I hope that you enjoy this episode. This episode is brought to you by Shopify. Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. From the launch your online shop stage to the first real life store stage, all the way to the did we just hit a million orders stage, Shopify is there to help you grow. Whether you're selling scented soap or offering outdoor outfits, Shopify helps you sell everywhere. From that all in one e-commerce platform to their in-person POS system, wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify has got you covered. Shopify helps you turn browsers into buyers with the internet's best converting checkout. 36% better on average compared to other leading commerce platforms. You would be amazed at how many massive brands you love use Shopify. Gymshark, perhaps one of the biggest independent sportswear companies in the world uses Shopify. And if it is good enough for them, it is good enough for you. So if you are looking to get started at selling something online, Shopify is the easiest, quickest and most convenient way to do it. Plus, you can sign up for a $1 per month trial period at shopify.com/modernwisdom, all lowercase, that's shopify.com/modernwisdom to grow your business no matter what stage you are in. This episode is brought to you by Element. Stop having coffee first thing in the morning. Your adenosine system that caffeine acts on isn't even active for the first 90 minutes of the day, but your adrenal system is and salt acts on your adrenal system. Element contains a science-backed electrolyte ratio of sodium, potassium and magnesium with no junk, no sugar, no coloring, artificial ingredients, gluten fillers or any other BS. It plays a critical role in reducing muscle cramps and fatigue whilst optimizing brain health, regulating appetite and curbing cravings. It's how I've started my morning every single day for over three years now and I absolutely love it. The orange flavor in a cold glass of water first thing in the morning is fantastic. It is the best way to start the day. Also, they have a no BS, no questions, ask refund policy. So if you do not like it for any reason, they will give you your money back and you don't even need to return the box. That's how confident they are that you love it. Head to drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom to get a free sample pack of all eight flavors with your first box. That's drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom.
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Just Be Attractive Bro is like the biggest meme in online data at the moment. What actually makes an attractive face?

**Macken Murphy** (4:36)
Well, there's a couple of things that come up again and again in the literature. And then there's also a couple of things that I think men think are very attractive and are surprised when they find out that women don't actually necessarily care about it. Now, that's not to say, we'll get into the weeds, but that's not to say that men are necessarily wrong to want to look like that, right? It's just that it's not the attractiveness component, so a couple of things that come up a lot are averageness, and that's mathematical averageness, so having a nose that is of average size, shape, and placement. Some people think average and they're like, oh, normal, and it's like a person with a very average looking face, meaning a face that would be the result of a composite of many faces superimposed on each other, a person with that sort of face would look like a model. If you superimpose a set of faces, the face that results from it will be more attractive than any individual in that set. We can talk, if you want, I know that you're interested in this sort of thing, as to the possible evolutionary and also just social reasons why that might be the case. A quick two theories would be, maybe average faces are easier to process, and the processing speed is pleasant. It's like, oh, there's nothing glaring here, and it's like, oh, I quite like looking at this. From an evolutionary perspective, it could be that the average four traits are the end result of sexual selection. We're putting the cart before the horse in the sense that the reason that the average nose is the average nose is because there's been so much historical selection on that shape.