FACE THE FACTS SYMMETRICAL FACES

SCIeNTISTS have shown we make instant judgments about someone’s health just by looking at their face — and our assumptions are uncannily accurate. WOMEN and men with symmetrical faces are generally considered more attractive, surveys show. And it’s not just humans: female barn swallows and peahens prefer to mate with males whose tails are symmetrical.

In fact, biologists say even features are a sign of genetic strength because growing a body that is highly symmetrical requires a great level of developmental accuracy, which is why everyone is slightly lopsided.

The robust genes needed to achieve this symmetry may also signal strong health in general.

It may also signal mating prowess. A study in the journal Evolution & Human Behaviour shows that even-faced men have faster sperm, and more of it. However, we instinctively avoid wide faces, no matter symmetrical. Scientists from Brock University, Canada, found men with a high facial width-toheight ratio were more likely to lose their temper and be aggressive. The researchers say we have evolved to spot width as a warning to treat these men with caution.