According to new research from the University of Toronto, losing just 14 pounds could give you a noticeably more attractive face. Co-author of the study Daniel Re believes the people will be pleasantly surprised to find that they can improve their appearance with just this small amount of weight loss.
Re said, “We did this study to give concrete goals to people who are already trying to lose weight. And while weight is only one aspect of beauty, the amount you need to lose in order to increase attractiveness is probably less than you think.”
Along with associate professor Nicholas Rule, Re found that the average weight loss required to make faces appear more attractive was about 14 pounds for women and 18 pounds for men, assuming that the person is of average height for their sex.
Re and Rule obtained these figures after they created 20 male and 20 female computer-generated faces. From there, the faces were digitally altered to show how they would appear at various body weights. Participants in the study were asked to compare the faces based on attractiveness.
The goal was to find the point where the participants could no longer distinguish between the faces based on their weight. It turns out that this point occurred at around 16 pounds.
According to Re, the study was conducted based on the modern incentive of improving appearance by achieving weight loss. Many people are more inclined to lose weight for the sake of appearing attractive rather than actually improving their health.
With the face being a prime indicator of attractiveness, losing just a small amount of weight can be very beneficial for those trying to improve their appearance. With the face, there really is nowhere to hide.
Re said, “We chose the face because you can’t cover up fatness with clothing, vertical stripes, whatever. People can perceive automatically whether someone’s face is skinnier or heavier. It’s not something you need to think about.”
There are many physical and mental problems with being overweight. People who are overweight are more prone to developing cancer, they are more likely to have respiratory and mobility issues and they typically have lower self-esteem.
Re explained, “All the bad things associated with being fat, basically.” Re said.
That being said, the research also found that having a face that is too skinny can also be considered unattractive. In the future, Re is planning to investigate how much weight skinny people need to gain in order to be perceived as more attractive.
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