There’s a well-known phrase that says, “true beauty comes from within” but is there more meaning to this phrase than first thought?
While this common phrase often relates to ones personality and character traits such as kindness, compassion, empathy and more, a small US study reveals that there may be a bit more meaning to this phrase.
A small US study out from the Royal Society publishing has found a link between how pretty people think we are and the strength of our immune systems.
Facial attractiveness ratings and levels of immune markers (from blood tests) were collected for 159 participants and analysed alongside attractiveness and demographic information from 492 survey participants.
The results found multiple relationships between immune function and perceptions of facial attractiveness – this may reflect preferences for traits historically linked to health, the authors say.
The team found people who were deemed to have prettier faces were also more likely to have better immunity markers in their blood, which they say may reflect preferences for physical characteristics historically linked to health.
Researchers have long speculated that perceptions of attractiveness reflect a preference for traits historically linked to health and, ultimately, immune function.
The results of the current research suggest that facial attractiveness may provide insights into one’s immune function, particularly as it relates to one’s ability to efficiently combat (primarily) bacterial threats.
Additionally, for men, facial attractiveness may also provide cues to their ability to efficiently manage viral threats and neoplastic growth.
Although future research is needed replicate these results, the current research suggests that a relationship between facial attractiveness and immune function is likely to exist.
